North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Bounces Back, Tops Santa Clara 9-3
2/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. Pratt Maynard went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, and Jimmy Gillheeney scattered four hits and allowed just one run in six innings to help NC State break a two-game season-opening slide and defeat Santa Clara 9-3 Sunday in the final game of the Summit Hopsitality Invitational at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack (1-2) ended two days of frustration at the Broncs’ expense, jumping on starter Cory Hall (0-1) for four runs in three innings, then roughing up freshman reliever J.R. Graham for four runs on five hits in the seventh.
Gillheeney (1-0) continued a weekend of strong starting pitching for the Wolfpack, which got excellent performances from Jake Buchanan on Friday and Sam Brown on Saturday. Gillheeney turned a 4-1 lead over to the bullpen, and John Lambert, Cory Mazzoni, Grant Sasser and Joey Cutler combined to limit Santa Clara (1-2) to two runs on four hits over the final three innings.
NC State staked Gillheeney to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Drew Poulk lined a two-out double to the wall in straightaway center field and scored on Maynard’s RBI single up the middle. Drew Martin’s two-run homer in the second made it 3-0 and Maynard’s one-out solo homer to left in the third gave Gillheney a 4-0 lead. Hall went three innings and allowed the four runs on six hits. He struck out three.
Gillheeney cruised through five innings, allowing just three hits before Tommy Medica hit a one-out solo home run in the top of the sixth, the only run the Wolfpack starter allowed. Gillheeney walked one and struck out seven before handing the ball to Lambert, who pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
NC State tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the seventh. The first five Wolfpack hitters of the inning reached base off of Graham. Maynard drove in two runs with a single through the right side of the infield, and Devon Cartwright drove in two with a Baltimore-chopper that went off the outstretched glove of third baseman Kyle Van Dusen and rolled down the line for a double.
Santa Clara got two back in the top of the eighth. Tommy Medica hit an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Keven Madden, and Mazzoni hit Curtis Wagner with a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Dallas Poulk led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to right-center and went all the way to third on a stolen-base attempt when pitcher Matt Renner’s pickoff throw went over the head of the first baseman and down the right-field line. Poulk scored on Maynard’s fourth single of the game, a grounder through the right side of the infield.
NC State will return to action Tuesday vs. High Point at Doak Field at Dail Park. Game time is 3 p.m.
The Wolfpack (1-2) ended two days of frustration at the Broncs’ expense, jumping on starter Cory Hall (0-1) for four runs in three innings, then roughing up freshman reliever J.R. Graham for four runs on five hits in the seventh.
Gillheeney (1-0) continued a weekend of strong starting pitching for the Wolfpack, which got excellent performances from Jake Buchanan on Friday and Sam Brown on Saturday. Gillheeney turned a 4-1 lead over to the bullpen, and John Lambert, Cory Mazzoni, Grant Sasser and Joey Cutler combined to limit Santa Clara (1-2) to two runs on four hits over the final three innings.
NC State staked Gillheeney to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Drew Poulk lined a two-out double to the wall in straightaway center field and scored on Maynard’s RBI single up the middle. Drew Martin’s two-run homer in the second made it 3-0 and Maynard’s one-out solo homer to left in the third gave Gillheney a 4-0 lead. Hall went three innings and allowed the four runs on six hits. He struck out three.
Gillheeney cruised through five innings, allowing just three hits before Tommy Medica hit a one-out solo home run in the top of the sixth, the only run the Wolfpack starter allowed. Gillheeney walked one and struck out seven before handing the ball to Lambert, who pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
NC State tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the seventh. The first five Wolfpack hitters of the inning reached base off of Graham. Maynard drove in two runs with a single through the right side of the infield, and Devon Cartwright drove in two with a Baltimore-chopper that went off the outstretched glove of third baseman Kyle Van Dusen and rolled down the line for a double.
Santa Clara got two back in the top of the eighth. Tommy Medica hit an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score Keven Madden, and Mazzoni hit Curtis Wagner with a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Dallas Poulk led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to right-center and went all the way to third on a stolen-base attempt when pitcher Matt Renner’s pickoff throw went over the head of the first baseman and down the right-field line. Poulk scored on Maynard’s fourth single of the game, a grounder through the right side of the infield.
NC State will return to action Tuesday vs. High Point at Doak Field at Dail Park. Game time is 3 p.m.
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