University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
No Carolina St
Baseball Stops N.C. State, 9-7
03/09/2002 | Baseball
March 9, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. - A six-run, seven-hit seventh inning broke open a tie ball game and propelled the University of Richmond baseball team to a 9-7 win against North Carolina State at Doak Field. Sophomore designated hitter Chris Dolan went 3-5 with one RBI and two runs scored, including two hits, an RBI and one run scored in the decisive seventh.
Richmond (11-1) out hit the Wolfpack 13-9 on the afternoon. Sophomore Matt Craig was 2-5 with three RBI and one run scored. He now leads the team with 14 RBI on the season. Sophomore Matt McLoughlin earned his first career win after pitching 2.0 innings and allowing five runs, one earned. Freshman Derek Duclos pitched a perfect eighth and ninth to earn his first career save.
N.C. State (13-4) saw its 11-game win streak snapped in the loss. Right fielder Joe Gaetti went 2-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Wolfpack freshman right-hander Michael Rogers dropped to 2-2 on the season after allowing seven runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings. Coming into the game he had hurled 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings. Richmond broke the streak in the second inning.
The Spiders defense was stellar in the bottom of the first as they gunned down two Wolfpack runners at home. Leadoff hitter Jeremy Dutton walked to begin the frame and then stole second. Brian Wright doubled to the right field wall where freshman Matt Craig who threw a strike to catcher Adam Tidball for the out. N.C. State's next batter, David Hicks, drove a single up the middle, but centerfielder Bryan Pritz charged the grounder and threw a bullet to Tidball who blocked the plate and held on when Wright bowled him over for the third out.
The Spiders took advantage of the momentum with a run in the top of the second. Junior Vito Chiaravalloti led off the frame with a double to the right center gap. He moved to third on a Jim Fasano ground out and scored on an RBI groundout from Tidball.
Richmond opened its lead to 3-0 with a two-run double down the right field line from Craig in the third. Dolan began the rally with a single and David Reaver drew a walk to get in position for Craig's lazer down the chalk.
N.C. State struck for two unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth. A Brian Ruscello error to lead off the inning put David Hicks at first. Later in the frame, Hicks and Gaetti rounded the bases on an Adam Hargrave two-out single to left field. The Spiders still led 3-2 after four innings.
Gaetti's sixth-inning home run tied the game 3-3. Gaetti was the first batter that Richmond right-hander Matt McLoughlin faced after relieving Bolinksi.
In the top of the seventh, Richmond loaded the bases with no outs. Dolan singled through the left side to start the inning and was followed by a Cronin walk and a Pritz infield single. Reaver reached out and punched a single into center that scored Dolan, gave the visitors a 4-3 lead and chased N.C. State starter Michael Rogers. An RBI single from Craig and a two-run shot back up the middle by Chiaravalloti gave Richmond a 7-3 lead.
After a double play left Craig at third with two outs, Tidball placed a bunt down the left field line that could not be fielded cleanly and the Spiders held a five-run advantage. The Spiders' sixth run of the frame came when Dolan singled to score Tidball. It was Dolan's second single of the inning.
N.C. State responded with four runs in its half of the seventh to climb within two runs. Wright scored the first run on an RBI single from Gaetti. The other three runs came home on a two-out Marc Maynor double to the right center wall. However, Maynor was caught trying to advance to third on a stellar relay from Cronin to Ruscello to Reaver who made the tag.
Duclos entered the game in the eighth to face the top of the Wolfpack order. He set the top three hitters down in order and the Spiders took a two-run lead into the ninth. Duclos again retired N.C. State in the ninth, ending the game on a double-play grounder.
The Spiders and Wolfpack will complete their three-game series on Sunday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m.
