North Carolina State University Athletics
Buchanan Stifles Maryland, Baseball Wins 4-2
4/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – There’s something about Shipley Field that really suits Jake Buchanan’s fancy. Two years ago, Buchanan made his first college start here and tossed a complete-game five-hitter, throwing 98 pitches and beating the Terps 12-1. Buchanan made his triumphant return to Shipley on Friday night and tossed a complete-game six-hitter, throwing 99 pitches and beating the Terrapins 4-2 in the first game of a crucial three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series.
With the win, NC State kept pace with Boston College in the race for third place in the ACC's Atlantic Division. The Wolfpack and Eagles now are tied with 7-9 conference records. NC State is 23-13 overall. Maryland fell to 4-12 in the conference and 14-22 overall.
Bucanan (4-3) was so efficient that he retired the side in order in six of the nine innings. He retired the first 10 men he faced on just 28 pitches, and after allowing single runs in the fourth and fifth, he set down 14 of the last 15 Maryland hitters of the evening. He got 14 ground-ball outs, struck out seven and did not allow a walk. In fact, he did not go to a three-ball count on a single batter, and went to a two-ball count just seven times.
As the visiting pitcher, Buchanan also happened to have the luxury of a 4-0 lead before he even took the mound in the bottom of the first inning. NC State jumped on Maryland starter Eric Potter swiftly and suddenly in the top of the first. Dallas Poulk led off and singled to left, and Andrew Ciencin walked on four pitches. Drew Poulk made it 3-0 with what must have been a 430-foot home run to left, and Harold Riggins drove the next pitch out to right to give Buchanan the 4-0 lead before Potter recorded an out.
And then the NC State offense rested. Potter responded to the back-to-back homers by retiring eight of the next nine Wolfpack hitters and 16 of 21 before handing the ball off to reliever Ian Schwalenberg, who allowed a hit and a walk and nothing else in three airtight innings of relief.
David Poutier broke up Buchanan’s no-hit bid with a one-out single to right in the fourth, then went all the way to third on Brandon Padulla’s flare single to right-center. Matt Marquis ended the shutout with an RBI single up the middle. Buchanan pitched out of further trouble by retiring Jack Cleary on a come-backer to the mound and striking out Dan Gentzler.
The Terps added another run in the bottom of the fifth. Matthew Murakami hit a one-out single through the right side of the infield and stole second. Jon Wilson grounded out to advance the runner to third, and Alfredo Gonzalez got the run home with a single up the middle.
After that, Buchanan returned to his game-opening form, and the pitching dominated the remainder of the game, which at two hours and 29 minutes wound up being the Wolfpack’s shortest game of the season, beating the 18-1 rout of Coppin State on April 7 by three minutes.
NC State and Maryland will play the second game of this weekend’s series on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM and on-line at gopack.com.
