North Carolina State University Athletics
Poulk's Poke Lifts Baseball Past Virginia, 4-2
3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NC State won the series, two games to one, and improved to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. Virginia fell to 11-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
Poulk’s homer came moments after the Cavaliers had tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth inning with an unearned run on Dan Grovatt’s RBI-double down the right-field line. David Adams, who reached first on a two-out error by Poulk, scored on the play. Poulk atoned for the error by hitting UVa starter Andrew Carraway’s first pitch in the bottom of the inning over the fence in right field to give NC State a 3-2 lead. Poulk drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh to give the Pack an insurance run.
The insurance run was probably superfluous, given the way Wolfpack starter Eryk McConnell (2-0) and the bullpen pitched. McConnell worked the first six innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits. He walked two and struck out four. Virginia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a leadoff single by Jeremy Farrell and a double to the left-center-field gap by Phil Gosselin. McConnell settled in after that and retired 12 of the next 13 men he faced. Adams broke that streak on the error by Poulk that led to the game-tying rally in the sixth.
Alex Sogard, Jake Buchanan and Jimmy Gillheeney followed McConnell to the mound and allowed the Cavaliers nothing no hits, no walks, three strikeouts over the final three innings. Sogard worked a 1-2-3 seventh, striking out one. Greg Miclat reached on a leadoff error in the top of the eighth with Buchanan on the mound, but he reached back and retired the next three men on a pair of fly balls and a bouncer to first base. Buchanan hit Gosselin with a pitch with one out in the top of the ninth, but Gillheeney struck out pinch-hitters Ryan Smith and Patrick Wingfield to end the game and record his third save of the season.
The Wolfpack needed the tough pitching because Virginia pitchers also tossed a four-hitter. Carraway (2-1) worked the first six and allowed three runs, two unearned on two hits and two walks. He struck out seven. Poulk led off the bottom of the fourth and reached on an error by Adams at second base. Nick Stanley looped a single to left-center and Marcus Jones walked to load the bases with none out. Jeremy Synan got Poulk home with a sacrifice fly to center field. Stanley went to third on the play and scored on Ferguson’s grounder to shortstop, giving McConnell and the Wolfpack a 2-1 lead.
Poulk’s home run in the bottom of the sixth and bases-loaded walk in the seventh accounted for the rest of the scoring. Neal Davis, Robert Morey and Jake Rule all pitched in relief for the Cavaliers and allowed just one run on two hits in two innings of work.
NC State will return to action on Wednesday, March 12, with a 3 p.m. game vs. Quinnipiac at Doak Field and Dail Park.
