Boston College Athletics
Boston College
North Carolina State
Baseball Sweeps NC State With Another Stunner, 11-10
April 25, 2010 | Baseball
April 25, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Boston College baseball team gave up its lead two times in the seventh and eighth innings, but showed tremendous fight as it also regained it twice en route to an 11-10 win Sunday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.
It was the second wild win in as many games and with it, marks the first time since joining the ACC that the Eagles have swept on consecutive weekends. The lead in the game switched four times from the bottom of the seventh to the top of the ninth innings.
BC (23-17, 12-9 ACC) held a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth but NC State (26-16, 9-12) battled back for the second time in as many days and scored a run in both the fifth and sixth innings, then put up three runs in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead.
Dallas Poulk drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and then Chris Schaeffer was hit by a pitch to put the first two batters on base. A wild pitch moved both of them into scoring position and Pratt Maynard hit an RBI single to pull the Wolfpack within a run. Drew Poulk roped a liner to sophomore Anthony Melchionda who made the catch, then stepped on third to convert a double play. Senior Chris Kowalski then got Harold Riggins to pop a ball up to the gap in right for what should have been the third out. But after some miscommunication, the ball fell out of senior Robbie Anston's glove to allow the tying run to score.
Andrew Ciencin then hit an RBI single to left to give NC State its first lead of the game, 7-6.
Anston made up for the error immediately in the top of the eighth as the leadoff batter. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, he pulled a 2-2 offering over the wall in right-center to tie the game. Then with two outs and senior John Spatola on first, freshman Matt Watson lifted a pitch high into right that the fielder misjudged and it landed for an RBI triple to put the Eagles back on top, 8-7. Melchionda then hit the wall in left for an RBI single to make it a two-run lead.
NC State put up another three runs in the eighth - all with two outs - to take the lead again, 10-9. Schaeffer and Maynard both walked after the first two batters were retired and then Drew Poulk made it hurt with a double that scored both of them to tie the game again, 9-9. Riggins then chopped a single up the middle to put the Wolfpack up, 10-9.
BC didn't let up, though, and scored two more times in the top of the ninth to seal the sweep. Freshman Philip Miclat drew a leadoff walk when he came on to pinch hit and then a fielder's choice gave NC State the first out of the inning. Junior Garret Smith then pulled an 0-1 pitch to the gap in left to bring Zapenas all the way around to score and tie the game, 10-10. After a strikeout for out number two, Hamlet came up and chopped a single up the middle to give BC the lead for good, 11-10.
Hamlet went 3-for-4 with three RBI including the game-winner. Anston led the offense with three hits while Smith, Zapenas, junior Mickey Wiswall and sophomore Anthony Melchionda each had two hits. Anston drove in two and scored three runs, Wiswall hit a double and Melchionda drove in a pair and hit a homer. Zapenas scored three times and Smith scored twice.
Junior Kevin Moran ended up with the win, throwing the final 1.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits. Classmate John Leonard started and tossed 6.0 innings and allowed four runs - three earned - while striking out four and walking three.
Drew Poulk went 2-for-5 for the Wolfpack with two doubles and a pair of RBI. Schaeffer went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI and Russell Wilson belted a two-run homer.
The Eagles, winners of eight straight games, are back in action on Tuesday when they host Quinnipiac at 3 p.m.
