[Update] Wolfpack Drubs UNC-W 17-5, Stays Alive

Ethan Ogburn

[Update] – Wolfpack Drubs UNC-W 17-5, Stays Alive

Quick turnaround so nothing fancy here:

-Ethan Obgurn comes up big for State going 8 2/3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 9 hits, striking out 7 and walking only one. Best move all day was not pulling him during/after a shaky 6th inning.

-The State defense backs Ogburn nicely, including turning 4 DP’s in the game.

-Wolfpack bats continued to pop as the Pack scores 17 runs on 22 hits on a very good Seahawks team. The Pack has scored 41 runs so far this weekend (49 hits).

-Ten different Wolfpack batters hit safely today and seven had multi-hit games:

  • Trea Turner (2 for 6, 2 doubles)
  • Chris Diaz (4 for 5, 2 doubles, 3RBI)
  • Danny Canela (2 for 4, RBI)
  • Andrew Ciencin (3 for 5, double, HR, 4RBI)
  • Brett Austin (3 for 5, triple)
  • Jake Fincher (2 for 5)
  • and Matt Bergquist coming up huge with a 3 for 5 day, a double, a HR, and 6 RBI.

 

GoPack.com – State Cruises 17-5 to Survive and Advance

RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State survived its first elimination game Sunday at Doak Field at Dail Park, racing past UNC Wilmington 17-5 with seven runs in the fourth inning and a career-high six RBIs from Matt Bergquist.

The Pack (41-18) put one across in the first, but UNCW (39-23) responded by tying the game 1-1 in the fourth. The track meet started in the bottom of that inning, when State hung seven on the board. After a Wolfpack run in the fifth, UNCW narrowed the gap to 9-4 with three in the sixth. The Pack put the game well out of reach from there, scoring one in the sixth, three in the seventh, and four in the eighth to leap ahead 17-4 before a Andrew Cain’s solo shot in the ninth made it 17-5.

Bergquist saved his best performance of the season for when the Pack needed it most, coming up with a career-high six RBIs in a 3-for-5 game with his first homer of the year and a double, scoring three times.

[snip]

Ethan Ogburn (5-3) came one out shy of his first career complete game, going 8 2/3 innings, allowing five earned on nine hits with seven strikeouts. Chris Williams made his second appearance of the year to record the final out, striking out the only batter he faced.

In three games at the Raleigh regional, the Pack has 41 runs, good for a school record. The next highest total for State in NCAA play is 33 (1994 in Knoxville, Tenn. and 1998 in Palo Alto, Calif.). The Wolfpack’s 17 runs sets a program record for most in a single NCAA Tournament game.

Every Wolfpack starter currently holds a batting average .313 or higher, and seven are batting higher than .400 for the regional. Ciencin sits 8-for-13 (.615), Bergquist leads the team with eight RBIs. Ryan Mathews rests one RBI shy of Bergquist’s total, and has two homers in the Pack’s three games.

Box Score

The Wolfpack now moves on to face Vandy again. First pitch scheduled for 6pm.

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[Original Entry] – Penthouse to Outhouse, Pack 9 Falls to Vandy

Carlos Rodon: Another quality no decision.

For the second straight Saturday night, Wolfpack Baseball had their ace, Carlos Rodon, taking the hill with the chance to make some tournament baseball noise. While this week’s game was about as different as possible from last week’s game, the result for Rodon and for the Pack was the same. An undeserved no decision coupled with a heartbreaking last inning loss.

The biggest difference is that this week, the Pack snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Despite wrestling with a small and seemingly moving strike zone much of the night and falling behind 1-0 in the 2nd inning, Carlos Rodon nonetheless held his composure and held the Commodores batters mostly in check, departing in the 7th inning with a 6-3 lead. When the Pack extended the lead to 8-3 in the top of the 8th on Ryan Mathews’ 2 run homer, it appeared the Wolfpack was a safe bet to move on and await the winner of Sunday’s early elimination game, thereby taking the inside track to a regional win and the NCAA Super regionals.

Since I’m still angry and I don’t much feel like typing out what happened next, I’ll let GoPack.com do it for me…

GoPack.com – Pack Falls in Walk-Off Heartbreaker

The Commodores roared back with five runs in the eighth to knot the score 8-8. Pinch hitter Connor Castellano got the inning starting by being hit by a pitch with one out. Another pinch hitter, Riley Reynolds doubled to right center to score him. A fly ball represented the second out, then the flood gates opened. A wild pitch on a third strike helped Yastrzemski keep the inning alive. Anthony Gomez hit an RBI single up the middle. Conrad Gregor hit a ground-rule double into the Wolfpack bullpen to score another. With two in scoring position, a wild pitch scored Gomez, and an error on the flip to home let Gregor across to tie the game.

In the decisive ninth, Castellano reached with a one-out single, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Reynolds grounded out to the right side to push him closer with two away. Kemp hit the walk-off, RBI single to center on an 0-1 pitch.

Box Score

No need to go into the decision making, not to mention the unforced errors (wild pitches included)…that’s what the comments section is for. But, the latest NC State “WTF Loss” did overshadow some fine performances not only by Rodon (6.2 ip, 3 runs, 5 hits, 5 BB, 6 K), but also by Jake Fincher (3 for 5, triple), Andrew Ciencin and Brett Austin (each 2 for 4, double), and of course Ryan Mathews (3 for 5, HR, 2RBI).

So, in only an inning and a half, State went from being in the driver’s seat for the super regionals to having to fight their way out of the loser’s bracket. So what’s the big deal, right? It’s only one loss and this is double elimination…right?

Well, instead of having no losses and waiting to face a one loss team with a chance to close it out TONIGHT; a one loss team facing elimination; a one loss team that already had to win a game earlier in the day and must now beat us two straight? Well, now we are that one loss team because we let Vandy take our candy.

State faces UNC-W today at 1pm in an elimination game. The winner will face Vanderbilt tonight at 6pm. If anyone but Vandy wins tonight’s game, then they’ll have to do it again tomorrow.

Tough road. Seahawks hit well and Pack seems to be pitching challenged lately and last night did nothing to help that.  Ethan Ogburn was originally scheduled to go today for State, and I presume he still is. Since the game ended last night I haven’t felt much like looking into details etc., however, so I can’t say for certain.

About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

Baseball

81 Responses to [Update] Wolfpack Drubs UNC-W 17-5, Stays Alive

  1. mak4dpak 06/03/2012 at 9:14 PM #

    The Pack moves on to play another game, and the heels are gone. A perfect Sunday!!!!!

  2. Pack78 06/03/2012 at 9:17 PM #

    Clearly, Swoffy didn’t get to the umps in time…

  3. TheCOWDOG 06/03/2012 at 9:32 PM #

    A wonderfully under managed day of State ball. Left in the hands of grinders, that though they ain’t got a clue about baserunning, came through in true grinder fashion.

    Did I say I like this team despite the flaws, or did I say I like this team because of their flaws.

    Wilkins, as Wuf pointed out, has displayed some huge huevos over the last 3 games. He’ll be good for an inning or two manana.

    How ya fill in the other 7 is pretty easy, too.

    Please, no reference to pitch counts, days rest, blah, blah, blah.

    It’s TOURNEY TIME.

  4. ChemE79a 06/03/2012 at 9:40 PM #

    To me one of the key reasons we were able to get through today from the loser’s bracket was that we had the guts to pitch someone against sacred heart who was not a regular weekend starter. That meant we were able to go with a weekend starter in both games today. Now tomorrow both NCSU and Vandy will be going with a “4th” starter.

    I like our chances tomorrow. This game tonight was the one where Vandy had real advantages coming out of the winner’s bracket. Tomorrow both teams are playing only one game and we have avoided using very many pitchers except for the first Vandy game.

  5. TheCOWDOG 06/03/2012 at 10:02 PM #

    ^ Yes Chem, the Williams start was the lucid dream work referred to on Thursday. And if you missed it then…you should be rewarded 2 bases for bringing it up now.

  6. fvpackman 06/04/2012 at 1:46 PM #

    come on cow…give EA the credit he deserves for that call….:)

    fv

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