North Carolina State University Athletics
Team Wolf Takes Fall Series Finale, 6-3
10/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 31, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. – Pratt Maynard drove in four runs with a three-run triple and a sacrifice fly, and three relievers combined to pitch 5 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday as Team Wolf won the third and deciding game of NC State baseball’s intrasquad world series 6-3. Team Wolf won the series two games to one.
Neither starting pitcher, Rob Chamra for Team Wolf and Cory Mazzoni for Team Pack, got out of the fourth inning and all the scoring took place in the third and fourth. Chamra was charged with three runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings, while Mazzoni allowed four runs on four hits in three innings.
While the starters faltered, both bullpens were outstanding. Freshman lefthander D.J. Thomas got credit for the win for Team Wolf after allowing just one hit in 2 2/3 shutout innings. He walked one and struck out two, and retired eight of the 10 men he faced. Righthanders Chris Overman and Felix Roque worked the final three innings. Overman retired all six men he faced, and Roque got the save with a shutout ninth inning.
The relief work was stellar for Team Pack as well. Righthander Rey Cotilla and lefty Mike Clark combined to pitch five shutout innings, allowing just one hit, but walking five. Cotilla pitched out of a tough jam in relief of lefty Nate King in the fourth.
“After committing I don’t know how many errors and generally playing poorly on Friday night, mostly because of a lack of focus, we came back the last two days and played very well,” Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent said. “Both bullpens were really good today, and both sides pitched well except for a couple of innings.”
The game was scoreless heading into the bottom of the third before Team Wolf erupted for four runs. Brett Williams led off and doubled down the left-field line. Antonio Alvarez followed and beat out a high chopper to second base, putting runners on first and third with none out. Alvarez promptly took second on a pitch in the dirt, and Peter Bako walked to load the bases, still with none out. Maynard cleared the bases with a triple into the right-field corner to give Team Wolf a 4-0 lead.
Team Pack came back with three in the top of the fourth on a three-run homer to left by Matt Bergquist, trimming the Wolf lead to 4-3. Thomas came in and restored order, however, striking out John Gianis and retiring Chris Schaeffer on a fly ball to the warning track in left to end the inning.
The momentum for Team Pack was short-lived. King, on in relief of Mazzoni to start the fourth, walked Cameron Conner, allowed a single to left by Williams, then walked Alvarez and Bako to force in a run. That brought Cotilla into the game, and after allowing a sacrifice fly to Maynard to make it 6-3, he avoided further damage, getting Andrew Ciencin to fly out and striking out Ryan Mathews.
“We only got 12 hits today between the two teams, and I think that’s because we pitched well and played good defense,” Avent said. “That was encouraging. This team has a chance to be very good offensively, but we need for our pitching to step up and keep us in games. Several guys – Josh Easley on Friday, Danny Healey yesterday, the bullpens today – did a nice job this weekend. We’re going to need that kind of pitching this spring.”
