March 23, 2007
Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -
NC State scored one in the ninth and two in the 10th to complete a 6-4 comeback victory over Wake Forest Friday afternoon at Hooks Stadium.
The Demon Deacons, who drop to 13-11 overall and 2-5 in the ACC, blew leads of 3-1 and 4-3. The Wolfpack, 17-7 overall and 4-3 in the ACC, scored the tying run in the ninth and the go-ahead run in the 10th for the extra-inning victory.
Josh Ellis (2-1) took the loss after blowing his first save in four chances. Ellis came on with one on and one out in the eighth inning and easily got the Deacs out of that jam.
However, the Deacon defense failed Ellis in the ninth. After Ryan Pond singled to lead off, an error on a would-be double-play ball gave the Wolfpack new life. Ramon Corona followed with a slow groundball to short. Wake Forest elected to turn the 6-4-3 double play rather than risk the throw home, allowing Pond to score the tying run.
The Wolfpack took its first lead of the game in the 10th when Joe Florio tripled off the rightfield wall to bring home the go-ahead run. State tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single two batters later.
Wake had opportunities late, putting a runner in scoring position in each the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, but the Deacons could not drive anyone home.
NC State's Eric Surkamp spotted the Deacs an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Surkamp hit Allan Dykstra and Willy Fox to load the bases after Brett Linnenkohl had led off with a single. Dustin Hood followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Linnenkohl with the Deacons' first run.
Surkamp then hit his third batter of the inning,
Evan Ocheltree, to load the bases for
Eric Williams. Williams coaxed a four-pitch walk out of Surkamp to bring home Dykstra. With the bases still loaded, Wake Forest had a chance to tack on more, but
Austin Jones struck out to end the inning.
Jones atoned for the strikeout three innings later. After State had scored a run in the second to cut the Wake lead in half, Jones launched his second home run of the season to left field, giving the Demon Deacons a 3-1 lead.
The Wolfpack got single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the score at 3-3. NCSU used a sacrifice bunt to bring home a run off Wake starter Brad Kledzik in the sixth. In the seventh, State hit a two-out single through the left side to plate the tying run off reliever Ben Hunter.
The Deacons responded in the bottom of the seventh when Linnenkohl hit a solo home run to right field. The blast was Linnenkohl's fourth of the season, and it gave Wake a 4-3 lead.
Linnenkohl, Dykstra and Ben Terry had two hits apiece to lead the Demon Deacon bats. Fox doubled to lead off the eighth inning, bringing his hitting streak to 13 games. Hood saw his seven-game hitting streak come to an end with a 0-for-4 day.
Ellis pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Ellis struck out four and walked one.
Kledik went 5 1/3 innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits. Kledzik struck out two batters and walked six.
Surkamp settled down after his erratic first inning. The lefty pitched seven innings and surrendered four runs (all earned) on five hits. Surkamp struck out eight Demon Deacons against just one walk.
NC State closer Eryk McConnell (2-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Pond and Dallas Poulk had three hits each for the Wolfpack. Mike Roskopf went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a solo home run in the second inning.
Wake Forest and NC State will meet in the second game of the three-game set tomorrow afternoon at Hooks Stadium. LHP Garrett Bullock (1-1, 5.54) will start for the Deacons, while RHP Andrew Brackman (4-1, 2.97) will go for the Wolfpack. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
