May 31, 2008
Raleigh, N.C. – Marcus Jones’ one-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 4-4 tie and behind a combined 2.2 scoreless innings between four relievers, NC State upended South Carolina 5-4 on Saturday evening on a hot, muggy evening at Doak Field in the NCAA Raleigh Regional. NC State improves to 40-20 with Carolina dropping to 39-22 on the year. South Carolina will meet James Madison in an elimination game scheduled for 1 pm on Sunday afternoon (June 1). Shout the Gamecocks, win, they would advance to another game that is scheduled for 6 pm with the winner to face NC State.
With the score tied at 4-4, NC State put together four consecutive hits to take a one-run lead on the Gamecocks. Matt Payne reached base on a one-out single and Devon Cartwright laced a single to give the Wolfpack two runners. On the first pitch, Jones then delivered with a RBI base hit up the middle to score Payne and give NCSU a 5-4 lead. Pat Ferguson also added a base hit but Gamecock left fielder DeAngelo Mack hosed down Cartwright at home on the play to keep Carolina within a run. South Carolina looked to mount a rally in the ninth inning against NC State reliever Eryk McConnell but a pair of defensive web gems kept the Gamecocks from scoring the tying run. Scott Wingo drove a deep ball down the right field line that saw Domonique Rodgers lay out and nab a possible double with a diving catch. The game then ended on a diving stop by second baseman Dallas Poulk on a line drive off the bat of Reese Havens.
NC State reliever Kyle Rutter would earn the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of work. He is 3-1 on the year. Carolina reliever Brandon Todd suffered the loss and is 3-2 on the year. He allowed one run on four hits in 1.2 innings of work with three strikeouts and two walks. McConnell’s scoreless ninth inning earned him his first save of the year.
Carolina put pressure on NC State starter Clayton Shunick in the first inning but the right-hander was able to work out of a jam. Whit Merrifield singled with one out followed by a base hit from Justin Smoak that gave the Gamecocks runners on first and third base. Shunick, however, battled and struck out both James Darnell and Phil Disher to keep the Gamecocks off the scoreboard.
Poulk struck for the Wolfpack early as he drove in a pair of runs in his first two plate appearances to stake NC State to a 2-0 lead. Poulk led off the bottom half of the first with a solo home run as he launched a 0-2 pitch from South Carolina starter Nick Godwin over the right field wall. The second run for NC State came in the third inning and would be unearned as the Pack took advantage of a Gamecock error by shortstop Reese Havens. Tommy Foschi reached base to lead off the frame on a fielding error and would then steal second base and advanced to third on a ground out to the right side. He scored on Poulk’s RBI single up the middle.
South Carolina broke through against Shunick in the fourth inning as DeAngelo Mack roped a solo home run to right field to cut the NCSU lead to one run. Mack delivered on a 2-2 offering from Shunick with his second straight homer in the tournament and his seventh of the season. South Carolina has homered now in 21 consecutive games.
NC State answered Carolina with a run in the bottom half of the fourth to go back ahead by a pair of runs. Matt Payne singled to open the inning followed by a walk to Jeremy Synan that gave the Wolfpack two runners. With one out, Pat Ferguson poked a two-strike pitch down the left field line to score Payne and give NCSU a 3-1 lead. Godwin controlled the inning for Carolina though as he struck out Chris Schaeffer and induced Tommy Foschi into a fielder’s choice limiting the Wolfpack to just one run in the inning. South Carolina cut the deficit to a run in the fifth inning as Merrifield connected with his third hit of the game, a two-out single that scored Scott Wingo.
The Gamecocks would take their first lead of the game in the sixth inning with a pair of unearned runs against Shunick. Carolina mounted a run at the Wolfpack with two outs as Phil Disher knocked an opposite field single that was followed up by a walk to DeAngelo Mack that gave USC runners on first and second base. Parker Bangs hit a roller to shortstop that was fielded cleanly by Tommy Foschi, however the NC State infielder threw low to first base and the ball rolled past first baseman Pat Ferguson allowing Disher to score the tying run. Andrew Crisp then laced a single to left field that scored Mack. Wolfpack left fielder Devon Cartwright came up throwing though and was able to throw a perfect strike to home plate and NC State tagged Bangs for the third out to keep NCSU within a run.
The Wolfpack tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning. NCSU was able to take advantage at the start of the sixth as Marcus Jones was hit on a 0-2 pitch from Godwin and Ferguson laced a single to give NCSU a pair of runners with no outs. Chris Schaeffer would lay down the sacrifice bunt for NC State putting Jones and Ferguson in scoring position. Carolina went to the pen then with senior right-hander Brandon Todd, who struck out Tommy Foschi for the second out. However, on a 3-0 pitch, Todd threw low and past catcher Phil Disher for a wild pitch allowing Jones to score and tie the game.
NC State out-hit Carolina 11-8 for the game. Poulk and Ferguson had three hits apiece for NCSU with Matt Payne also going 2-for-5 for the Wolfpack. Merrifield tied a career-high with a 3-for-3 performance, his seventh time this season he has reached the three-hit total. It was also Merrifield 26th multi-hit game of the season that leads the team. Mack went 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored as well.
