#Pack9 Sweeps Longwood in Saturday Twinbill

Saturday, May 2

Raleigh, N.C.

6:30 PM

NC State

25-18

Longwood

19-25

Longwood

NC State

5/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 2, 2015

The Wolfpack (25-18) swept a doubleheader against Longwood (19-25) at Doak Field at Dail Park on Saturday. NC State won the first game 3-2 on an eighth inning double from Andrew Knizner. In the second game, Knizer and Logan Ratledge each provided a pair of RBIs to cruise to a 6-1 victory.

Knizner extended his hitting streak to 10 games, going 4-for-7 with four RBIs and a double on the afternoon. Jake Fincher had a hit and a run in each game. The Wolfpack pitching staff combined to fan 24 Lancers in 18 innings.

Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 1) | Play-by-Play (Game 1) | Photo Gallery - James Guillory

Top Performers:
Ryne Willard (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI), Joe O'Donnell (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LONGWOOD	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	4	1
NC STATE	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	X	3	4	0

The Wolfpack got off to a fast start with starter Cory Wilder striking out the side in order to begin the game. Wilder went five innings, allowing two earned on three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.

Ryne Willard granted the Pack a 1-0 lead with his third homer of the season in the bottom second. Longwood threatened in the top third, advancing a runner to third with less than two outs before the Wolfpack quelled the scoring opportunity.

Longwood loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth, and the Lancers pushed across their first run on a bases loaded walk. Joe O'Donnell (6-3) entered there, and an RBI single gave Longwood a 2-1 lead. From there, O'Donnell settled in with four innings of relief work, picking up the win on one hit and a walk, striking out five.

The Pack tied the game in the bottom sixth on a sac fly from Knizner. In the bottom eighth, the sophomore rose to the occasion again, putting the Wolfpack ahead 3-2 with an RBI double to score Preston Palmeiro.

Box Score (Game 2) | Box Score (Game 2) | Play-by-Play (Game 2) | Photo Gallery - James Guillory

Top Performers:
Andrew Knizner (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Curt Britt (3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LONGWOOD	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	1
NC STATE	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	3	X	6	12	1

Starter Brian Brown (4-3) made quick work of the Lancers in the top first, allowing Knizner's RBI single in the bottom half to push the Pack ahead 1-0. Ratledge set up the score with a leadoff single and steal of second. Knizner finished the nightcap 3-for-4, his 14th multi-hit ballgame of the season.

In the top second, Longwood put runners on the corners with one out, but Brown shut the door on that scoring chance with back-to-back strikeouts. Longwood tied the game 1-1 with a two-out single in the fourth.

State broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth on Bubby Riley's sac fly. Brown left after 5 2/3 innings, holding Longwood to one unearned on four hits and a walk, punching out four. Curt Britt relieved him, and immediately picked off a Longwood base runner to record the final out of the fifth. Britt shut the door going 3 1/3 for his first save as a member of the Wolfpack, limiting the Lancers to two hits and a walk, fanning six.

NC State returns to action Sunday at 1 PM for the series finale on GoPack All-Access. Radio duties will be handled by 88.1 WKNC. Fans can follow along with live stats on GoPack.com, or Twitter updates from @NCStateBaseball.