RALEIGH, N.C. – Clayton Shunick scattered two hits over five
innings in a spot start, and Caleb Mangum drove in four runs Thursday as NC State
defeated Clemson 11-4 in the first game of a three-game Atlantic Coast
Conference baseball series at Doak Field at Dail Park.
NC State extended its current winning streak to four games
and lifted its overall record to 35-18, 15-13 in the ACC. Clemson fell to 35-19
overall and 17-11 in the conference. Shunick (5-2), making just his second
start in 19 total appearances this season, allowed only one run, on a two-out
single in the second inning. He walked three and struck out four and retired
the last seven men he faced before handing the ball over to Jimmy Gillheeney to
start the sixth inning.
Gillheeney worked into the eighth inning to set the stage
for closer Eryk McConnell, who picked up his 11th save of the season
with two innings of shutout baseball. He allowed one hit and struck out two
without allowing a walk. Daniel Moskos (3-5), the first of six Clemson
pitchers, took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in four-plus
innings of work. He walked four and struck out two. Clemson pitchers walked 11
on the night.
The Tigers picked up their only run off Shunick when Taylor
Harbin led off the second inning with a walk and went to second on a wild
pitch. Shunick struck out Doug Hogan, but Ben Paulsen’s grounder to first base
moved Harbin to third, and Addison Johnson’s bloop single to shallow right
field got the run home to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
NC State tied the game in the bottom of the third. Foschi
led off with a single to right and Drew Martin bunted him to second base.
Dallas Poulk hit a high chopper to third base. Marquez Smith made a strong
throw to first to retire Poulk, but Foschi took off for third on the throw
across the diamond and just beat the return throw from first baseman Andy
D’Alessio. Mangum walked to put runners on the corners, and Marcus Jones got
Foschi home with a single through the left side of the diamond.
The Wolfpack added two more runs in the bottom of the
fourth. Jeremy Synan led off and walked, then scored all the way from first
when Matt Payne drilled a double all the way to the wall in left-center. Foschi
sacrificed Payne to third, and Moskos threw a wild pitch with Martin at the
plate, allowing Payne to score and give the Wolfpack a 3-1 lead.
Jones led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a
five-pitch walk and that was the end of the line for Moskos. Matt Vaughn came
in to pitch for the Tigers and got Ryan Pond to ground into a force play, but
Pat Ferguson singled off the glove of the diving J.D. Burgess at second base to
put runners on the corners with one down. Synan struck out for the second out,
but back-to-back RBI singles by Payne and Foschi pushed the lead to 5-1.
The Tigers got back into the game in the top of the seventh
off Gillheeney. With one away, Johnson singled to center and Burgess reached on
an infield single. Both runners advanced on a fly ball to left field by D.J.
Mitchell, and Wilson Boyd singled to center to drive in both runs and trim the
NC State lead to 5-3.
Synan led off the bottom of the seventh against Tigers
reliever Alex Martin and walked. He went to second on Payne’s sacrifice bunt.
Justin Sarratt came in to pitch for Clemson and got Foschi on a come-backer to
the mound, but Martin reached on an infield single. Matt Zoltak relieved
Sarratt and walked Poulk and Mangum to force in a run and make it 6-3 in favor
of the Wolfpack.
D’Alessio led off the top of the eighth with a single off of
Gillheeney, who then gave way to McConnell. Harbin grounded back to the mound
to move D’Alessio to second, and Hogan singled to right to score D’Alessio with
Clemson’s fourth run of the game.
Pond led off the bottom of the eighth and walked. Ferguson
tried to bunt him to second, but pushed the ball right back to Zoltak, who
forced Pond at second base. Ramon Corona pinch-hit for Synan and walked, and
Wade Moore ran for Corona. Stephen Clyne came in to pitch for the Tigers, and
Vince Gutierrez batted for Payne and singled sharply up the middle to drive in
Ferguson. Moore went to third on the play and scored on Foschi’s single off the
shortstop’s glove to make it 8-4. Joe Florio pinch-hit for Martin after a Cline
pitch hit Martin’s hand while the hand was on the bat. Florio walked to load
the bases, and with two down Mangum drove a three-run double off the wall in
right field to make the final score 11-4.
NC State and Clemson will play the second game of the series
Friday at 7 p.m. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast
live on WKNC, 88.1 FM, and will be available on-line on gopack.com through Pack
Pass. A video webcast of the game will be available on ACC Select.
Courtesy: Peyton Williams/NC State
