North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Finishes Sweep of Towson, 9-5
3/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. Devon Cartwright drove in a career-high four runs, and Travis High and Jason Zinser combined to pitch five strong innings Wednesday as NC State defeated Towson 9-5 to complete a sweep of a two-game series at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack, which improved to 12-5 overall, fell behind 3-0 after the top of the first inning, but the Pack then scored in every inning but the sixth to pull away with the victory. Towson dropped to 5-12 with the defeat.
Sophomore righthander Sam Brown started for NC State, and he struggled early pitching with two outs. After easily retiring the first two batters of the game, Brown allowed the next five hitters to reach base. Nick Natoli drove in a pair of runs with a double down the right-field line, and Greg Furmaneck picked up an RBI with a single to right. Brown did not allow any further runs by the Tigers in his four innings of work, but Towson hitters went 6-for-9 with two outs while Brown was on the mound.
High (1-0) replaced Brown to start the fourth and cruised through the next three innings on just 29 pitches, allowing two hits and no walks. He ran into trouble in the eighth when the Tigers scored a pair of runs on a passed ball and a single by Jason Stifler. High wound up pitching three-plus innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Zinser came out of the bullpen to restore order, retiring the last five men he faced and six of the last seven for his first collegiate save.
The Wolfpack never flinched when down 3-0. Cartwright led off the bottom of the first with a home run to left, and Drew Martin led off the second with a homer, trimming the lead to 3-2. Marcus Jones led off the third and doubled, took third on a balk, and scored when Dallas Poulk got into a rundown between first and second. That tied the score, and the Pack never looked back.
Chris Schaeffer and Tommy Foschi led off the bottom of the fourth with walks and Foschi was forced at second base on Cartwright’s grounder to shortstop. That put runners on the corners, and reliever Nate Curd dropped Jeremy Synan’s chopper to the mound for an error that allowed Schaeffer to score the go-ahead run off Towson starter and loser Wes Shifflett (1-1), who was charged with four runs, three earned, on three hits in 3 1/3 innings.
The Wolfpack kept adding runs. Poulk singled in Ryan Pond in the fifth, and Cartwright singled home a pair of runs with a single down the line in left in the seventh. Schaeffer got the final run home with a squeeze bunt that went for a single in the eighth.
NC State will return to action this weekend with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Clemson. Game times are 6 p.m. on Friday, 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and can be heard on the internet at gopack.com through Pack Pass.
The Wolfpack, which improved to 12-5 overall, fell behind 3-0 after the top of the first inning, but the Pack then scored in every inning but the sixth to pull away with the victory. Towson dropped to 5-12 with the defeat.
Sophomore righthander Sam Brown started for NC State, and he struggled early pitching with two outs. After easily retiring the first two batters of the game, Brown allowed the next five hitters to reach base. Nick Natoli drove in a pair of runs with a double down the right-field line, and Greg Furmaneck picked up an RBI with a single to right. Brown did not allow any further runs by the Tigers in his four innings of work, but Towson hitters went 6-for-9 with two outs while Brown was on the mound.
High (1-0) replaced Brown to start the fourth and cruised through the next three innings on just 29 pitches, allowing two hits and no walks. He ran into trouble in the eighth when the Tigers scored a pair of runs on a passed ball and a single by Jason Stifler. High wound up pitching three-plus innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Zinser came out of the bullpen to restore order, retiring the last five men he faced and six of the last seven for his first collegiate save.
The Wolfpack never flinched when down 3-0. Cartwright led off the bottom of the first with a home run to left, and Drew Martin led off the second with a homer, trimming the lead to 3-2. Marcus Jones led off the third and doubled, took third on a balk, and scored when Dallas Poulk got into a rundown between first and second. That tied the score, and the Pack never looked back.
Chris Schaeffer and Tommy Foschi led off the bottom of the fourth with walks and Foschi was forced at second base on Cartwright’s grounder to shortstop. That put runners on the corners, and reliever Nate Curd dropped Jeremy Synan’s chopper to the mound for an error that allowed Schaeffer to score the go-ahead run off Towson starter and loser Wes Shifflett (1-1), who was charged with four runs, three earned, on three hits in 3 1/3 innings.
The Wolfpack kept adding runs. Poulk singled in Ryan Pond in the fifth, and Cartwright singled home a pair of runs with a single down the line in left in the seventh. Schaeffer got the final run home with a squeeze bunt that went for a single in the eighth.
NC State will return to action this weekend with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Clemson. Game times are 6 p.m. on Friday, 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and can be heard on the internet at gopack.com through Pack Pass.
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