Courtesy: Brian Utesch Kyle Wilson hit a three-run homerun in game two of the doubleheader.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cameron Conner stole the show for NC State, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs, and a walk in the night cap of a doubleheader as the Wolfpack rolled to a 15-5 victory to complete a doubleheader sweep over North Carolina Central University at Doak Field at Dail Park on Sunday afternoon. The Wolfpack took the first game of the twin-bill 15-2.
Conner finished the afternoon 4-for-5 with three homeruns, four runs scored, six RBIs and two walks in the two games combined.
With the pair of wins, NC State improves to 22-26 on the year. NCCU drops to 5-32 with the losses.
NC State took an early 1-0 lead to start the second game of the doubleheader. Kyle Wilson reached on a leadoff walk, and took second on a Devon Cartwright sacrifice bunt. After stealing third, Wilson came in to score when Drew Poulk grounded out to short.
The Pack added another run in the second. Andrew Ciencin grounded a ball to short. Eagles shortstop Cedric Coleman misplayed it, booting the ball into foul territory in left allowing Ciencin to advance to second on the play. Ciencin moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Harold Riggins lofted a sacrifice fly to center to put the Wolfpack up 2-0. The two-out rally was kept alive when Chris Schaeffer was hit by a pitch. Dallas Poulk struck out swinging, but reached first when the ball skipped by NCCU catcher Blake Murray for a wild pitch. Kyle Wilson delivered the big hit of the inning, a three-run home run to left to bring in Schaeffer and Dallas Poulk and extend the NC State lead to 5-0. Following Wilson’s blast, Cartwright and Drew Poulk both reached on singles through the left side. Still with two outs, Cartwright and Drew Poulk both advanced on a double steal. In an attempt to catch Drew Poulk on second, Murray threw the ball into center field, allowing Cartwright to score on the play and pad the Wolfpack lead to 6-0.
NCCU got two back in the third. Edward Pegues reached on a leadoff walk. Oliver Jenkins singled to center to give the Eagles two runners on with nobody out. David Scott laid down a sacrifice bunt in an attempt to advance Pegues and Jenkins, but first baseman Riggins threw out Pegues at third for the first out. Third baseman Kyle Wilson attempted a throw to first to get Scott, but threw the ball into foul territory for an error, allowing Jenkins and Scott to both advance. Murray brought in the first Eagles run on a single to right field. Kurt Wilson cut the Wolfpack lead to 6-2 with an RBI groundout, scoring Scott.
The Eagles inched closer in the top of the fourth inning. Anthony Wilson led off with a bloop single down the right field line. Two hitters later, Robert Landis grounded out to third, but Riggins attempted to catch Anthony Wilson advancing to third only to throw the ball into left field territory for an error, scoring Wilson on the play to make it 6-3, NC State.
NC State added four runs in the fourth. Kyle Wilson reached with a leadoff walk then advanced to second on a Cartwright groundout. With Drew Poulk at the plate, Kyle Wilson appeared picked off on a steal attempt, however, Eagles starter Joseph Cobb threw the ball into foul territory to allow Wilson to score all the way from second base to put the Wolfpack up, 7-3. Drew Poulk then drew a walk before Cameron Conner gave NC State a 9-3 lead with a long homerun to left, his second on the day and third of the season. Ciencin extended the inning with a one-out walk. Riggins followed with a lined single up the middle. Russell Wilson singled to center to bring in Ciencin to put the Pack up, 10-3. Schaeffer appeared to keep the rally going, reaching first on an error by third baseman Kurt Wilson. Schaeffer advanced to second on the play, but was caught in a rundown between second and third to end the inning.
Back-to-back walks to Dallas Poulk and Kyle Wilson put two runners to lead off the fifth for the Wolfpack. After a Cartwright pop out, Drew Poulk hit a ground ball to second base for the force, but on the double play attempt, Eagles second baseman Anthony Wilson threw the ball into foul ground for an error, allowing Dallas Poulk to score from second. Drew Poulk was thrown out trying to advance on the on the play when Landis threw to second for the out. After five innings, the Pack had a 11-3 lead.
Cameron Conner kept his bat hot, leading off the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo home run to left, his second in the game and third on the afternoon.
The Eagles chipped in two runs in the top of the eighth. Murray led off with a walk. Kurt Wilson rolled a single through the right side. Ross Plummer loaded the bases on a lined shot to right. NC State traded two outs for a run when Anthony Wilson grounded into a double play, scoring Murray. Cedric Coleman brought in NCCU’s second run singling through the hole on the right side to score pinch-runner Justin Goodson to cut the Wolfpack lead to 12-5.
NC State got three runs back in the home half of the eighth. Domonique Rodgers hit a shot down the right field line for a double to lead things off. Cameron Conner added to his big day, lofting a double to the left field gap to score Rodgers. The RBI double gave Conner four RBIs in the game. Pinch-hitter Dusty Quattlebaum brought Conner around to score with a double of his own. After Quattlebaum advanced to third on a passed ball, Russell Wilson brought him home on a sacrifice to left to give the Pack a 15-5 lead.
Mike Russo (2-0) started for NC State. He went five innings, scattering five hits and three runs, one earned. Russo struck out three and walked two.
Joseph Cobb made the start for the Eagles, going 3 1/3 innings with nine runs allowed, seven earned, on six hits. He struck out two and walked six and fell to 0-5 in the loss.
NC State didn’t waste time jumping out to an early lead in the first game of the doubleheader. John Gianis beat out an infield dribbler back to the mound to start things for the Pack. Devon Cartwright followed with a walk. Pratt Maynard gave NC State a quick 1-0 lead rolling a single up the middle, scoring Gianis. Pat Ferguson floated a base hit to left to load the bases for Andrew Ciencin. Ciencin promptly lined a Citero offering down the left field line for a two-run double. Cartwright and Maynard scored on the play, giving the Wolfpack a 3-0 lead. Citero escaped further damage, getting three straight outs to strand runners on second and third to end the inning.
The Wolfpack padded their lead an inning later. Gianis roped a one-out triple into the right field corner. Cartwright followed with a double into left-center field to score Gianis and make it 4-0, NC State. With two outs, Ferguson brought Cartwright around with a double to straightaway center field for the Pack’s fifth run. Ciencin kept the second inning rally going with a liner down the left field line to score Ferguson from second, but was thrown out on a perfect throw from Eagles left fielder Edward Pegues to end the inning with NC State leading 6-0.
The Pack struck again in the third. Russell Wilson lined a ball through the left side of the infield for a leadoff single. Domonique Rodgers singled to right one hitter later, advancing Wilson to third. Wade Moore gave NC State a 7-0 lead with an RBI groundout, scoring Wilson. Dallas Poulk extended the Wolfpack lead to eight when he lined a double down into the right field corner to bring in Rodgers.
NC State used some thunder off the bats to tack on three more in the fourth. Ferguson led off with a single to right-center. Ciencin reached for the third time in three at bats with a single through the left side. After two quick outs, Moore put the Wolfpack up 11-0 with a three-run homerun to right field. The homerun was Moore’s fifth in 2009. Dallas Poulk kept the rally alive with a single to right, but NCCU reliever Brandon Oatis got pinch-hitter Harold Riggins to fly out to right field to end the inning with NC State leading 11-0.
The Eagles got their first run of the game in the top of the fifth. Robert Landis led off the inning with a bloop double down the right field line that bounced into the Wolfpack bullpen for a ground rule double. After moving to third on a wild pitch by Zinser, Landis scored on a Robert Grant groundout to first to make it a 11-1 NC State advantage.
NC State kept the runs coming in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Rodgers reached on an infield single. Moore followed with a walk. Dallas Poulk brought Rodgers in when he singled to right-center field to make it 12-1, Wolfpack. Riggins reached on a groundball to second, scoring Moore from third and extending the NC State lead to 13-1. Pinch-hitter Cameron Conner continued the hit parade by launching a two-run home run to left to make it 15-1 in favor of NC State.
NCCU grabbed a run back in the eighth. Akeem Hood led off with a lined triple down the right field line. Oliver Jenkins brought Hood in one hitter later with a sacrifice to left to make it 15-2.
Jason Zinser (1-0) started for the Wolfpack and went a career-high seven innings in his first career college victory. He allowed one run on one hit. Zinser struck out eight and walked two.
Jeff Citero started for NCCU and took the loss. He falls to 0-8 on the year. He went three innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits. He struck out one Wolfpack hitter and walked two.
The Pack will return to action on Wednesday, May 6 at UNC Wilmington. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and over the internet on gopack.com via Pack Pass.
Courtesy: Brian Utesch
