North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Falls to Late FSU Rally, 7-5
5/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Cory Mazzoni dazzled fifth-ranked Florida State for six innings Saturday night, but the Seminoles rallied for three runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth to overtake NC State and hand Mazzoni and the Wolfpack a 7-5 defeat in the middle game of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Dick Hoswer Stadium.
Despite the loss, NC State gained ground in the race for the eighth and final spot in the ACC Tournament later this month, thanks to Virginia’s sweep of North Carolina in a doubleheader in Charlottesville. The Wolfpack, 32-19 overall, fell to 12-14 in the conference with Saturday’s defeat, but a full game ahead of the Tar Heels, who dropped to 11-15 with the two losses to the Cavaliers. The loss did snap a four-game winning streak for the Pack, which has won six of its last eight games. Florida State won for the seventh time in its last nine games and improved to 38-13 overall and 17-9 in the ACC.
The protocol for Saturday’s game was a pitchers’ duel, but Florida State starter Brian Busch didn’t get the memo until the first three NC State hitters of the game had all scored. Kyle Wilson led off and doubled high off the wall in right field. Dallas Poulk beat out an infield single to put runners on first and third. Drew Poulk made it 3-0 with a home run to left-center. Harold Riggins followed with a walk, but Andrew Ciencin grounded into a double play, and Busch locked in at that point, retiring 16 of the next 20 batters he faced before head coach Mike Martin yanked him with one down in the top of the seventh.
Mazzoni, meanwhile, took the pitchers’ duel angle seriously from the get-go. He retired the first eight men he faced and 11 of the first 13 before running into trouble, not all of it of his own making, in the bottom of the fifth. Stephen Cardullo led off the inning for the Seminoles with a double and scored on Sean Gilmartin’s single to right field. Drew Poulk’s throw back to the infield was not cut off and was wide of home plate. The ball wound up rolling untouched into the NC State dugout. Poulk was charged with a throwing error and Gilmartin wound up being awarded third base. Stuart Tapley cut the Wolfpack lead to 3-2 with a sacrifice fly to center field. The run was unearned.
Mazzoni retired the next six batters in succession. He set down 17 of the 21 men he faced in the game’s first six innings, but ran into tough sledding after that. James Ramsey tied the game at 3-3 for Florida State with a leadoff homer to right-center in the bottom of the seventh, and the Seminoles weren’t finished. Cardullo followed with a single to right and took second on a wild pitch. Mazzoni fell behind Rafael Lopez, three balls and one strike, and issued an intentional walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. Devon Travis foiled the strategy by smoking a double over the third-base bag and into the left-field corner. Ciencin cut off Russell Wilson’s throw from left field and relayed the ball to second base, where Riggins tagged Travis out for overrunning the base, but not before both runners scored to give Florida State a 5-3 lead.
The Wolfpack got those runs back in the top of the eighth off reliever Geoff Parker. Kyle Wilson led off with an infield single and Drew Poulk belted a one-out double to right-center to put runners on second and third. Riggins grounded out to shortstop. Poulk had to hold at second on the play, but Wilson scored from third. Ciencin followed with an RBI-single to center to drive in Poulk and knot the score at 5-5. Parker was done after the eighth inning, but got credit for the win after allowing two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.
The Seminoles scored the decisive runs in the bottom of the eighth. Johnson and McGee both hit one-out singles to left field, and that was all for Mazzoni. Lefthander Alex Sogard was summoned from the bullpen to face the lefthanded-hitting Ramsey, who singled up the middle to drive in Johnson and break the tie. Rob Chamra came in to pitch and got Cardullo to ground a potential double-play ball to Ciencin at third, but his throw to second was wide of the bag and sailed into right field. McGee came around to score, but Ramsey was thrown out trying to advance to third. Both runs in the inning were charged to Mazzoni (7-3), as was the loss. After dominating for six innings, his final line – seven runs, five earned, on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings – belies how well he pitched. He walked two, one intentional, and struck out five.
McGee pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his ninth save.
NC State and Florida State will play the final game of this three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM and on-line at gopack.com.
Despite the loss, NC State gained ground in the race for the eighth and final spot in the ACC Tournament later this month, thanks to Virginia’s sweep of North Carolina in a doubleheader in Charlottesville. The Wolfpack, 32-19 overall, fell to 12-14 in the conference with Saturday’s defeat, but a full game ahead of the Tar Heels, who dropped to 11-15 with the two losses to the Cavaliers. The loss did snap a four-game winning streak for the Pack, which has won six of its last eight games. Florida State won for the seventh time in its last nine games and improved to 38-13 overall and 17-9 in the ACC.
The protocol for Saturday’s game was a pitchers’ duel, but Florida State starter Brian Busch didn’t get the memo until the first three NC State hitters of the game had all scored. Kyle Wilson led off and doubled high off the wall in right field. Dallas Poulk beat out an infield single to put runners on first and third. Drew Poulk made it 3-0 with a home run to left-center. Harold Riggins followed with a walk, but Andrew Ciencin grounded into a double play, and Busch locked in at that point, retiring 16 of the next 20 batters he faced before head coach Mike Martin yanked him with one down in the top of the seventh.
Mazzoni, meanwhile, took the pitchers’ duel angle seriously from the get-go. He retired the first eight men he faced and 11 of the first 13 before running into trouble, not all of it of his own making, in the bottom of the fifth. Stephen Cardullo led off the inning for the Seminoles with a double and scored on Sean Gilmartin’s single to right field. Drew Poulk’s throw back to the infield was not cut off and was wide of home plate. The ball wound up rolling untouched into the NC State dugout. Poulk was charged with a throwing error and Gilmartin wound up being awarded third base. Stuart Tapley cut the Wolfpack lead to 3-2 with a sacrifice fly to center field. The run was unearned.
Mazzoni retired the next six batters in succession. He set down 17 of the 21 men he faced in the game’s first six innings, but ran into tough sledding after that. James Ramsey tied the game at 3-3 for Florida State with a leadoff homer to right-center in the bottom of the seventh, and the Seminoles weren’t finished. Cardullo followed with a single to right and took second on a wild pitch. Mazzoni fell behind Rafael Lopez, three balls and one strike, and issued an intentional walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. Devon Travis foiled the strategy by smoking a double over the third-base bag and into the left-field corner. Ciencin cut off Russell Wilson’s throw from left field and relayed the ball to second base, where Riggins tagged Travis out for overrunning the base, but not before both runners scored to give Florida State a 5-3 lead.
The Wolfpack got those runs back in the top of the eighth off reliever Geoff Parker. Kyle Wilson led off with an infield single and Drew Poulk belted a one-out double to right-center to put runners on second and third. Riggins grounded out to shortstop. Poulk had to hold at second on the play, but Wilson scored from third. Ciencin followed with an RBI-single to center to drive in Poulk and knot the score at 5-5. Parker was done after the eighth inning, but got credit for the win after allowing two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.
The Seminoles scored the decisive runs in the bottom of the eighth. Johnson and McGee both hit one-out singles to left field, and that was all for Mazzoni. Lefthander Alex Sogard was summoned from the bullpen to face the lefthanded-hitting Ramsey, who singled up the middle to drive in Johnson and break the tie. Rob Chamra came in to pitch and got Cardullo to ground a potential double-play ball to Ciencin at third, but his throw to second was wide of the bag and sailed into right field. McGee came around to score, but Ramsey was thrown out trying to advance to third. Both runs in the inning were charged to Mazzoni (7-3), as was the loss. After dominating for six innings, his final line – seven runs, five earned, on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings – belies how well he pitched. He walked two, one intentional, and struck out five.
McGee pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his ninth save.
NC State and Florida State will play the final game of this three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM and on-line at gopack.com.
Auburn Regional Preview: Elliott Avent on ACC PM
Thursday, May 29
Game Three Press Conference: Athens Super Regional
Tuesday, June 11
Game Two Press Conference: Athens Super Regional
Sunday, June 09
Game One Press Conference - Athens Super Regional
Saturday, June 08