North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Takes Opener From Hofstra, 11-4
2/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. The top four hitters in NC State’s lineup combined to drive in nine runs, and lefthander Jimmy Gillheeney pitched seven strong innings Friday to lead the Wolfpack past Hofstra 11-4 in the first game of a doubleheader at Doak Field at Dail Park.
NC State improved to 4-2 with the win and extended its current winning streak to four games. Hofstra dropped to 0-5.
Gillheeney (2-0) allowed six hits, three in one inning, walked two and struck out eight, one shy of his career high. He set down the last seven men he faced, and 12 of the last 15. He got seven outs on ground balls. Hofstra starter Rob Kumbatovic (0-2) got the loss. He worked five innings and was charged with four runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Gillheeney’s only bump in the road came in the third inning, when Hofstra scratched for a pair of runs on three hits, two of which didn’t leave the infield, a pair of walks and two wild pitches. Scott A’Hara led off and singled up the middle. Shortstop Kyle Wilson made a diving catch of the ball, but his throw to first was wild for an error. A’Hara was credited with an infield single and went to second on the throwing error. Adam Perlo dropped a bloop single into shallow center field, moving A’Hara to third. Gillheeney recovered to strike out Chris Greco, but Mark Stuckless singled into the hole between shortstop and third base, driving in A’Hara with the game’s first run. Dion Pouncil struck out for the second out of the inning, but in an uncharacteristic bout of wildness, Gillheeney walked Matt Prokopowicz and Chris Mentrasti back-to-back to force in a run and give the Pride a 2-0 lead.
The Wolfpack tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Drew Poulk led off with a home run off the scoreboard in left-center. With one out, Pat Ferguson singled up the middle and went to third on Dusty Quattlebaum’s double down the right-field line. Domonique Rodgers got the tying run home with a grounder to shortstop.
Stuckless led off the top of the fifth for Hofstra, singled through the right side of the infield and stole second. With one down, Prokopowicz reached on an error by Wilson that scored Stuckless from second to give the Pride a 3-2 lead.
The Wolfpack took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Wade Moore led off with a double that one-hopped the wall in right-center field, and Wilson drove an opposite-field home run off the scoreboard to make it 4-3.
Drew Martin and Wade Moore drew one-out walks off reliever Kevin Rigopoulos in the bottom of the sixth, and Wilson laced a double into the gap in left-center, driving in Martin to make it 5-3. With one out and runners on second and third, Brody Fontaine came in to face Dallas Poulk, whose pop-up to shallow left field fell in between three defenders for an RBI-single that scored Moore. Drew Poulk followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Wilson and gave NC State a 7-3 lead.
The Pride got one run back in the top of the eighth. Pouncil led off with an infield single up the middle and went to second when Mentrasti walked. Nick Panzarella singled down the left-field line to drive in Pouncil, but Drew Poulk threw to third base to nail Mentrasti for the second out. Elliot Hagburg flied out to end the inning.
Wilson reached on a one-out walk in the bottom of the eighth, stole second base and went to third when the catcher’s throw hit the bag and scooted away for an error. Dallas Poulk’s single through the drawn-in infield scored Wilson to make it 8-4. Drew Poulk singled through the right side to send Dallas Poulk to third. Dallas Poulk scored on a wild pitch, and Pratt Maynard’s two-run homer to right cleared the sacks and gave the Wolfpack an 11-4 lead.
NC State improved to 4-2 with the win and extended its current winning streak to four games. Hofstra dropped to 0-5.
Gillheeney (2-0) allowed six hits, three in one inning, walked two and struck out eight, one shy of his career high. He set down the last seven men he faced, and 12 of the last 15. He got seven outs on ground balls. Hofstra starter Rob Kumbatovic (0-2) got the loss. He worked five innings and was charged with four runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Gillheeney’s only bump in the road came in the third inning, when Hofstra scratched for a pair of runs on three hits, two of which didn’t leave the infield, a pair of walks and two wild pitches. Scott A’Hara led off and singled up the middle. Shortstop Kyle Wilson made a diving catch of the ball, but his throw to first was wild for an error. A’Hara was credited with an infield single and went to second on the throwing error. Adam Perlo dropped a bloop single into shallow center field, moving A’Hara to third. Gillheeney recovered to strike out Chris Greco, but Mark Stuckless singled into the hole between shortstop and third base, driving in A’Hara with the game’s first run. Dion Pouncil struck out for the second out of the inning, but in an uncharacteristic bout of wildness, Gillheeney walked Matt Prokopowicz and Chris Mentrasti back-to-back to force in a run and give the Pride a 2-0 lead.
The Wolfpack tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Drew Poulk led off with a home run off the scoreboard in left-center. With one out, Pat Ferguson singled up the middle and went to third on Dusty Quattlebaum’s double down the right-field line. Domonique Rodgers got the tying run home with a grounder to shortstop.
Stuckless led off the top of the fifth for Hofstra, singled through the right side of the infield and stole second. With one down, Prokopowicz reached on an error by Wilson that scored Stuckless from second to give the Pride a 3-2 lead.
The Wolfpack took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Wade Moore led off with a double that one-hopped the wall in right-center field, and Wilson drove an opposite-field home run off the scoreboard to make it 4-3.
Drew Martin and Wade Moore drew one-out walks off reliever Kevin Rigopoulos in the bottom of the sixth, and Wilson laced a double into the gap in left-center, driving in Martin to make it 5-3. With one out and runners on second and third, Brody Fontaine came in to face Dallas Poulk, whose pop-up to shallow left field fell in between three defenders for an RBI-single that scored Moore. Drew Poulk followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Wilson and gave NC State a 7-3 lead.
The Pride got one run back in the top of the eighth. Pouncil led off with an infield single up the middle and went to second when Mentrasti walked. Nick Panzarella singled down the left-field line to drive in Pouncil, but Drew Poulk threw to third base to nail Mentrasti for the second out. Elliot Hagburg flied out to end the inning.
Wilson reached on a one-out walk in the bottom of the eighth, stole second base and went to third when the catcher’s throw hit the bag and scooted away for an error. Dallas Poulk’s single through the drawn-in infield scored Wilson to make it 8-4. Drew Poulk singled through the right side to send Dallas Poulk to third. Dallas Poulk scored on a wild pitch, and Pratt Maynard’s two-run homer to right cleared the sacks and gave the Wolfpack an 11-4 lead.
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