Maryland
No Carolina St
Big 9th Inning Lifts NC State Past Terps, 11-10
6/21/1999 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 1999
RALEIGH, N.C. - Brian Wright's two-out infield hit past the shortstop drove in two runs and capped a six-run ninth inning that catapulted NC State to an 11-10 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball victory over Maryland on Friday night at Doak Field.
The win lifted the Wolfpack to 6-7 in the ACC and 28-14 overall. The Terps dropped to 4-8 and 13-17-1 overall. Reliever Mike Sollie (3-0) picked up the win with 1/3 scoreless innings. Joe Hart (2-4) took the loss after yielding two runs on a hit and a walk without retiring a hitter.
Maryland jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Eric Beer led off and reached on an error, and Casey Trout and Frank Velois each singled to load the bases with none out. Craig Munroe followed with a two-run double down the right-field line. Chuck Easter grounded out to send home the third run of the inning, and after Mike D'Archangelo walked to put runners on the corners, the Terps pulled off a double steal, with Munroe scoring on the play.
Wright led off the bottom of the first by slamming an 0-2 pitch off the wall in right field for a double, and Brian Ward doubled off the wall in center field to drive in Wright for the Wolfpack's first run. Ward advanced to third on a groundout and scored on an infield grounder by Curtis Sapp, cutting the Maryland lead to 4-2.
The Wolfpack struck again with two outs in the bottom of the second. Dan Mooney doubled down the left-field line, and Jason Smith singled to center to drive in Mooney and cut the lead to 4-3.
Maryland added a run in the top of the fifth. Larry Long singled and Eric Beer walked to lead off, and Velois grounded to second base to move the runners to second and third with one out. Trout walked to load the bases, and the runners advanced on a wild pitch, with Long scoring.
The Wolfpack got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. Josh Schmitt doubled with one out, went to third on a groundout and scored on a bunt single by Jamey Shearin to make it 5-4.
Ward greeted reliever Jared Vogt with a one-out single to center field in the bottom of the seventh, went to second on a passed ball and took third on a fly ball to center. Pinch-hitter Luis Figueroa drew a walk and Ward scored when ball four skipped past the catcher for a wild pitch, tying the score at 5-5.
The Terps promptly broke the tie in the top of the eighth inning. Trout led off with a walk and went to third on Easter's one-out single to center field. Trout scored and Easter went to second when Adrean Acevedo's throw bounced off the base and into the Maryland dugout.
Maryland appeared to put the game away with four runs in the top of the ninth. Long led off with a single to center field and Beer drew a walk. The runners advanced to second and third on an errant pickoff attempt, and Trout was intentionally walked to load the bases. Munroe drilled a two-run single to right, and a third run scored on the play when the ball kicked off Craig Lee's glove for an error, giving the Terps a 9-5 lead. Easter walked, and Jason Mohap's two-out single to right drove in Munroe to make it 10-5.
The Wolfpack began its ninth-inning rally when Ward walked with one out and Matt Postell doubled to put runners at second and third. Craig Lee drove in Ward with a groundout, and Todd DeMakes walked to put runners on the corners. Richard Lee hit a two-run pinch-hit double to right-center to cut the lead to 10-8, and Acevedo singled in a run to make it 10-9. Aaron Maher and Jason Smith walked to reload the bases, and Wright hit a high chopper to that bounced past Trout at shortstop for the game-winning hit.
