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May 18, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. – The University of Virginia baseball team dropped a 12-7decision to the North Carolina State Wolfpack this afternoon in the firstgame of a doubleheader at Doak Field. Virginia battled back from an earlydeficit to tie the game on two occasions at 4-4 and 5-5 before N.C. Statescored seven runs in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. The wingave NCSU a 2-0 lead in the series and assured the Wolfpack of winning thethree-game series with the Cavaliers.
Virginia took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when MarkReynolds blasted a solo home run deep over the left field wall. Reynolds’home run was his team-leading 14th of the season. But N.C. State answeredright back with a home run of its own in the bottom of the third inning whenColt Morton belted a three-run shot deep into left-center field to give theWolfpack a 3-1 lead. Morton’s home run was his 13th of the year.
N.C. State extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning whenAdam Hargrave tripled off the center field wall before Joe Gaetti drove himin to score a run with a sacrifice fly RBI to left field. However, Virginiatied the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth inning when Chris Sweetconnected on a three-run home run to left field. Sweet’s home run was hisfourth of the season and his third in the last four games he has played.
But UVa’s lead was short lived as the Wolfpack came right back in the bottomof the sixth inning when Brian Wright lifted a solo home run over the rightfield wall to give NCSU a 5-4 lead. Wright’s home run was his 12th of theseason. But once again, Virginia answered right back and tied the game at5-5 when David Stone hit a solo home off the top of the wall in right-centerfield.
However, N.C. State continued the trend of pulling ahead when UVa tied thegame and erupted for seven runs on five hits to take a 12-5 lead in thebottom of the seventh inning. David Hicks got things started when he doubledto right-center field to lead off the bottom half of the inning beforescoring a run on a Cavalier throwing error to make it a 6-5 contest. NCSUadded a run to pull ahead 7-5 when Jeremy Dutton drove in Chad Orvella with aRBI sacrifice bunt before Joe Gaetti drove in another N.C. State run to makeit an 8-5 game with a RBI-single to left field. N.C. State’s Riley gave theWolfpack a five-run cushion with a two-run, RBI-double to right field beforeHicks recorded his second double of the inning, this time with a two-runRBI-double to right-center field to score Riley and Morton.
Virginia cut N.C. State’s lead to 12-6 in the top of the eighth inning whenRobert Word hit his 11th home run of the season after belting a solo shot todeep center field. One inning later, Dan Street hit a RBI-single to centerfield to drive in Kyle Werman to make it a 12-7 contest in the bottom of theninth inning, but that would be as close as UVa would get.
UVa starting pitcher Joe Koshansky lasted six innings and allowed five runson 13 hits to go along with one strikeout in a no decision. The Cavaliers’Chris Marinak (2-3) took the loss after going just 0.2 of an inning andallowed four runs (all unearned) on two hits. NCSU starting pitcher MikeProchaska (5-2) picked up the win after going eight innings on the mound andallowed six runs on six hits to go along with a game-high five strikeouts.
With the loss, Virginia’s record falls to 25-29 overall, 8-15 in the ACC.The win improves N.C. State’s record to 31-24 overall, 6-17 in the conference.
The Cavaliers and Wolfpack will return to action later this evening to playthe second game of the scheduled doubleheader at Doak field.