TIM PEELER: Pond Makes Big Splash With Clutch Double

BY TIM PEELER

RALEIGH, N.C. Even as an accomplished college baseball hitter, NC State senior Ryan Pond expects to look foolish every now and then.

The hope, of course, is that there are enough at bats to mix in enough extra-base hits, clutch singles and home runs to offset the times that you look ridiculous.

Pond stepped to the plate in the seventh inning of Friday night’s NCAA Raleigh Regional opener against James Madison hoping to redeem himself. Two innings earlier, Pond had the chance to make a difference for his team, something that he has been exceptionally good at during his four-year career as a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman.

The game was tied 2-2, there was one out and teammates Tommy Foschi and Dallas Poulk were on first and second base, a prime opportunity to make the sell-out crowd at Doak Field at Dail Park erupt in celebration. It was also a prime opportunity for the top-seeded Wolfpack, which had lost three consecutive NCAA Regional openers, to shake off some self-doubt.

	NCAA Raleigh Regional Results/Schedule
	Friday, May 30
	Game 1: South Carolina 15, Charlotte 8
	Game 2: NC State 6, James Madison 2
	Saturday, May 31
	Game 3: James Madison vs. Charlotte	2 p.m.
	Game 4: South Carolina vs. NC State	7 p.m.
	Sunday, June 1
	Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser	1 p.m.
	Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner	6 p.m.
	Monday, June 2 (if necessary)
	Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser	1 p.m.

James Madison was trying to make a statement of its own, and Dukes coach Joe “Spanky” McFarlane replaced starting pitcher Turner Phelps with Trevor Knight. Pond, the first batter Knight faced, struck out swinging on a 1-2 breaking pitch. He walked back to the dugout feeling like he had let his team down, just as he had on his other two at-bats, a weak pop up to shortstop and a dribbler to second base.

Pond, who entered the game as one of the Wolfpack’s most clutch hitters, couldn’t help but think about the previous at bats when he stepped into the batters box in the seventh inning, with teammates Chris Schaeffer and Tommy Foschi both in scoring position. Schaeffer had singled to start the seventh, Foschi followed with a single to left-centerfield. Drew Martin put them in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but leadoff hitter Dallas Poulk’s fly ball to left field wasn’t deep enough to advance the runners.

So, with two out, Pond knew he needed to produce.

“I looked pretty bad in my first three at bats,” said Pond, who started the game with a team-high .337 batting average and 43 RBIs. “It was just ugly. The guy made me look foolish. It was frustrating.

“But that’s the beauty of baseball the next at bat means just as much as the first one, and sometimes you get another chance.”

This time around, he wasn’t going to have a bad at-bat. There had already been too many of those by Wolfpack hitters on the night. By now, Pond knew how Knight would pitch to him and he vowed to be more patient than he had been in his first three trips. He waited out five pitches, working to a full count. The sold-out crowd at Doak Field at Dail Park was on its feet, with one side of the stadium screaming “Wolf!” and the other side answering “Pack.”

It was a hitter’s dream, and Pond delivered. He scorched a breaking ball down the left-field line for a double that scored Schaeffer and Foschi with the go-ahead runs.

“Coach talked to us earlier about the crowd and how it was waiting for something big to happen,” Pond said. “It was by far the biggest and loudest crowd I remember having here. The noise just kind of kept building with every pitch.

“When I got the hit, they kind of erupted. It was pretty special to be able to give them a reason to.”

The cheers rained down on Pond until he slid safely into second base, popping up with a loud clap of his own hands and a broad grin on his face.

“They were just anxious for something to happen,” Avent said. “When he got that double, I think you probably could have heard them down on Avent Ferry Road.”

Avent was proud of Pond’s clutch hit, along with the two sacrifice bunts laid down by Martin, the eighth-inning single delivered by Marcus Jones and the two-run homer by Schaeffer that gave the Wolfpack the 6-2 final margin.

“We did not have a lot of good at bats early in the game,” Avent said. “I know our players were extremely excited about hosting a regional, and I don’t think they were nervous. But I do think they were trying a little too hard and pressing at the plate.

“But, on the bright side, we did get some clutch hits, which is what we needed to win.”

Now, the Wolfpack has to get ready to face second-seeded South Carolina, matching Avent’s squad against former NC State player and head coach Ray Tanner, who left his alma mater 12 years ago to become the head coach of the Gamecocks. Both Avent and Tanner have down played the emotional importance of the contest.

But Doak Field should be even more raucous Saturday night for the showdown. The winner will be in the driver’s seat to win this double-elimination event and advance to a Super Regional.

Avent believes that the Wolfpack has gotten its opening-day euphoria out of the way and is ready to face the challenge of facing the Gamecocks. And he has to like his chances, with junior pitcher Clayton Shunick (7-5, 2.12) heading to the mound on the Wolfpack’s home field and an offense that came through with clutch hits.

“Winning this first game should relax our hitters a little bit,” Avent said. “I think you will see a little better offensive performance Saturday night.”

You may reach Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.

North Carolina State University Athletics

TIM PEELER: Pond Makes Big Splash With Clutch Double

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