North Carolina State University Athletics
Georgia Tech Averts Sweep, Downs Baseball 5-3
5/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sometimes you play your best and the other guy just beats you. Such was the case for NC State on Sunday. The Wolfpack got excellent pitching and defense, and out hit one of the best hitting teams in the country, only to lose to sixth-ranked Georgia Tech 5-3 in the final game of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Doak Field at Dail Park.
NC State, which fell to 28-18 overall and 11-13 in the conference with the loss, fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning on a three-run homer by Matt Skole off of Wolfpack starter Alex Sogard (0-2). Following Skole’s blast, Wolfpack pitching held the Yellow Jackets to two runs on just four hits over the next 8 2/3 innings, allowing single runs on a solo homer by Cole Leonida in the fourth, and a two-out RBI single by Skole in the seventh. Skole’s single was the only two-out hit that Georgia Tech got in the game, and only the fourth in the series.
“I thought we played great the entire series, especially our pitching,” Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent said. “Alex has had trouble in the early innings of a few games this year, and he left a changeup to Skole out over the plate. But he really buckled down after that and was outstanding. Our bullpen was fantastic all weekend, and they were great again today. Georgia Tech is a really outstanding team, probably the best we’ve faced this season.”
For the series, NC State relievers worked nine innings and allowed just one run on two hits.
The Yellow Jackets, who improved to 36-9 and 16-8 with the win, avoided being swept after dropping the first two games of the series, 6-5 and 4-2. Lefthander Jed Bradley (7-2) was impressive, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits in six innings of work. He walked three and struck out four. The Wolfpack dinged him for an unearned run in the first on an infield single by Dallas Poulk, a passed ball and a double to left-center by Drew Poulk.
NC State scored its other two runs in the bottom of the third. Kyle Wilson led off and singled through the left side of the infield and Dallas Poulk doubled to left-center to put runners on second and third. Andrew Ciencin drove in one run with a groundout, and Drew Poulk drove in the other with a sacrifice fly to the wall in right.
And that was that. The Wolfpack threatened several times after that, but Bradley and reliever Mark Pope, a midweek starter who made his first relief appearance of the season and earned the save with three shutout innings, stranded eight runners, five of them in scoring position.
“We had a couple of scoring chances, but they shut the door on us,” Avent said. “We had first and third with two out in the fifth, and we loaded the bases with two out in the sixth. We just couldn’t get that one hit to drive in those runs. We battled all the way. I’m really proud of how well our guys fought today. They left everything they had on that field. We played about as well as we can play, but we got outpitched. Their pitching was the story of the game.”
NC State now takes the next four days off for final examinations. The Wolfpack will return to action on Friday, May 7, for the first game of a three-game non-conference series vs. Towson. Game times for the series are 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and on-line on gopack.com through the Pack Pass package.
