North Carolina State University Athletics
Avent And Wolfpack Enjoy Record-Setting Day
5/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. – The balls were flying and the records were falling Sunday at Doak Field at Dail Park. NC State bashed seven home runs, two of them grand slams, and Cory Mazzoni worked six outstanding innings as the Wolfpack hammered Towson 21-0 to complete a sweep of this weekend’s three-game series.
The records and milestones came in a flurry.
NC State head coach Elliott Avent won his 514th game as head coach of the Wolfpack to pass the legendary Sam Esposito and become the winningest coach in program, history.
The Pack’s seven home runs are the most in a single game by the Wolfpack this season and the most in at least 12 years (records on-site at Doak Field only go back through the 1998 season).
NC State’s two grand slam home runs give the Wolfpack three for the series vs. Towson and seven for the season. That breaks the old record of six grand slams in a season, set in 1997.
Danny Canela hit a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in seven runs, most RBIs by a Wolfpack player since Joe Gaetti drove in seven on March 1, 2003, vs. Villanova.
Pratt Maynard drew a pair of walks, giving him 52 for the season, breaking the old school single-season record of 51 set in 1997 by Tom Sergio.
With the series sweep, the Wolfpack won for the fifth time in the last six games and improved to 31-18. Towson dropped to 16-34. Four Wolfpack pitchers combined for the shutout with Mazzoni (7-2) earning the victory. Mazzoni threw six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. He struck out five and walked just one. With seven wins, he has the most wins by a Wolfpack pitcher in a single season since Clayton Shunick went 7-6 in 2008. The last Wolfpack pitcher to win more than seven games in a season was Gib Hobson, who went 10-2 in 2006. Mike Bronakoski (2-4) got the loss for Towson.
The Wolfpack jumped on the Tigers for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Dallas Poulk led off with his ninth home run of the year. Maynard singled to right and Canela grounded out to first, advancing Maynard to second. Harold Riggins was hit by a pitch, and Chris Schaeffer then hit the second Wolfpack home run of the inning.
NC State added a run in the bottom of the second on Maynard’s towering solo homer to right field.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Schaeffer reached base on an error by Towson first baseman Andrew Parker. John Gianis walked and Russell Wilson singled to left to load the bases with one out. Chris Diaz hit the first grand slam of the afternoon to increase the Pack lead to 9-0. Dallas Poulk singled up the middle and Maynard walked, but reliever Nate Curd picked Poulk off second base. Drew Poulk walked and Canela then homered to left field to give the Pack a 12-0 lead at the end three.
While the offense was laying waste to the Towson pitching staff, Mazzoni was working on his second gem in as many weekends. He retired the first six batters he faced. Kurt Wertz led off the top of the third and reached on an error and eventually worked his way around to third base, but was cut down at home plate attempting to score on a ball that got away from catcher Chris Schaeffer.
Kevin Collins got Towson’s first hit of the game, a two-out fly-ball double that just nicked the left-field foul line and kicked into the Tigers’ bullpen for a ground-rule double. Mazzoni retired Chris Wychock on a lazy fly ball to center field to strand the runner at second.
Towson loaded the bases with one away in the top of the fifth on a double by Austin Harclerode, a walk to Wertz and a single to right by Andrew Parker, but Mazzoni struck out Brian Wyman and got Ben Hunter to ground out to end the threat. Mazzoni retired the last five men he faced before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
And the bullpen was excellent. Vance Williams, Alex Sogard and Rey Cotilla pitched an inning apiece and combined to allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out four.
Curd and Sean Thompson kept NC State off the scoreboard for the middle three innings of the game, but the Wolfpack erupted again in the seventh. Diaz led off and walked, then advanced to second when Dallas Poulk grounded out. Maynard drew his second walk of the game to put runners on first and second with one away, and Drew Poulk hit an infield single to third to load the bases. Canela followed with his second homer of the game and the Wolfpack’s second grand slam of the game, increasing the lead to 16-0. Bill Edwards reached on an error and advanced to second on wild pitch. Tarran Senay hit the seventh home run of the game for the Pack. Gianis doubled to the left-field corner and scored on Russell Wilson’s double to left to stretch the lead to 19-0 after seven innings.
The NC State barrage continued with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Drew Poulk singled to center to lead off and Edwards singled up the middle. Senay singled to right to drive in Poulk and move Edwards to third. Gianis grounded out to score Edwards with the game’s final run.
NC State returns to ACC play next weekend with a pivotal three-game series in Tallahassee against Florida State. Game times are 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and on-line at gopack.com.
