N.C. State Avenges Game One Loss To Top Blue Devils 8-1 Saturday

Saturday, April 12

Raleigh, N.C.

6:30 PM

Duke University

NC State

N.C. State Avenges Game One Loss To Top Blue Devils 8-1 Saturday

4/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

By: Duke Sports Information

RALEIGH, N.C. ? Pat Ferguson and Marcus Jones combined for three home runs and six RBI to lead N.C. State to an 8-1 win over Duke Saturday afternoon at Doak Field and even the three-game ACC series at one game each.

Both Ferguson and Jones went 2-for-4 with Ferguson contributing two of N.C. State's (22-11, 9-7 ACC) four home runs and Jones batting in four RBI. The four home runs broke a streak of nine consecutive games in which Duke pitchers had held opponents without a home run and were the most allowed in a single game all season by the Blue Devils (23-11, 5-11 ACC). Duke entered the game with just 11 home runs hit against them for the fewest in the ACC.

Though he had eight runs to work with, N.C. State starter Eric Surkamp (3-2) needed just two as the junior left-hander held Duke to one run on seven hits over six complete innings. He struck out four batters without walking any before handing the ball to freshman Jake Buchanan, who tossed three hitless frames to close out the game and lock up the save.

Left fielder Jeremy Synan also had a productive game for N.C. State, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three runs.

Sophomore center fielder Alex Hassan and junior catcher Matt Williams provided the offense for Duke, as each went 2-for-4 and accounted for Duke's only run after stringing together consecutive doubles in the first inning. Williams extended his hitting streak to four games with the two-hit outing while Hassan continued to add to his team-leading hit and run totals. Sophomore third baseman Ryan McCurdy was also hit by a pitch for the 13th time this season, giving him a share of Duke's single season record along with Williams who accomplished the feat in 2007.

Freshman Dennis O'Grady (3-1) took the loss for Duke after making his first career weekend start. The right-handed pitcher turned in a scoreless first inning before allowing a pair of two-run, two-out rallies in the second and third frames. He struck out a pair and did not allow a walk, however, giving him 15 punchouts through 21.2 innings of work, compared to just one walk which was an intentional pass in his last outing.

Senior Ryan Perry and freshman Ryan Knott ate the final five innings for Duke with each giving up a pair of runs. Perry struck out three and held N.C. State to two hits, though both were home runs. Knott, meanwhile, suffered from another two-out Wolfpack rally in the eighth before finding much more success in a scoreless ninth.

For the second time in the series, Duke took a first-inning lead after a pair of consecutive doubles from Hassan and Williams led to a 1-0 advantage. Hassan's two-bagger came on a 1-0 count and was his team-leading 12th of the season, while Williams followed with his sixth double just five pitches later.

Senior designated hitter Jonathan Nicolla followed with another double to open Duke's next offensive series and moved over to third with one out on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan McCurdy for his team-leading seventh sac of the season. Surkamp rebounded to strand the Blue Devil DH 90 feet from the plate though, after retiring the next two batters on seven pitches.

Duke's 1-0 lead was soon erased, however, after Ferguson launched a solo home run in the bottom of the second to spark a two-out rally that produced a pair of runs for the Wolfpack. The long ball was the fourth of the season for the Wolfpack first baseman and the first career long ball given up by O'Grady. Following the game-tying shot, Tommy Foschi and Drew Martin strung together consecutive singles to reach the corners before O'Grady awarded Foschi a free pass to the plate with a balk. Hassan limited any further damage after snagging a line drive to center field for the final out.

The Wolfpack benefited from another two-out home run in the third, this time off the bat of Jones who launched a 2-1 offering over the left field fence to put his team ahead 4-1. The two-run blast was the fifth of the season for the Wolfpack center fielder and sent in Synan, who started the rally with a two-out single to left. Nick Stanley threatened to keep it going with a single to follow Jones' home run, but Williams sent him back to the dugout after gunning him down at second on a stolen base attempt.

Meanwhile, Surkamp settled down after giving up a run in the first to retire nine straight through the fourth. Three of those were outs were strikeouts to give the 6-5, 216 pound southpaw one in each of his first four innings.

After the consecutive two-run innings for N.C. State, the Blue Devils brought in Perry to start the bottom half of the fourth. He did little to cool off Ferguson's bat, however, as the first baseman launched his second consecutive home run just inside the left field foul pole to open the inning. Perry kept his composure though, and retired three of the next four to strand Dallas Poulk on third after a fielding error on his single to left allowed the Wolfpack leadoff man to get move into scoring position with two outs.

Sophomore Michael Ghizzoni ended Surkamp's retired batter streak in the top of the fifth with a two-out single up the middle. Duke had a chance to cut into the 5-1 deficit after Martin mishandled a ground ball from Gabriel Saade to put runners at the corners, but Surkamp forced a flyout to deep left to escape the jam.

N.C. State's offensive foray continued in the fifth, however, as Synan pulled a full count fast ball and sent it well over the right field fence for his third homer of the season. The solo shot put the Wolfpack ahead 6-1 and marked the third straight inning in which an N.C. State batter sent one over the fence

Despite the five-run deficit, Duke's defense stayed sharp for the remainder of the game. Hassan put his personal well-being on the line to run down a fly ball in the sixth, snagging it on the warning track just before crashing into the left-center field wall. He was down for a moment but eventually stood up and flashed the ball in his mitt to signal the out.

After six strong innings from Surkamp, Buchanan came on to relieve the Wolfpack starter in the seventh. He opened his outing by plunking McCurdy in the elbow to give the sophomore Blue Devil a share of Duke's single season hit by pitch record. The free pass did little to help Duke, however, as Martin then snagged a hard-hit line drive off Jake Lemmerman's bat and fired to first just in time to catch McCurdy before he could get back to the bag.

Duke followed suit, sending Knott to the mound to follow a three-up, three-down performance in the sixth by Perry. Though Perry gave up the two home runs, he retired nine of his 12 batters faced with one hitter reaching on a fielding error. Following Perry's three-inning performance, Knott came out strong in the seventh, but could not put the Wolfpack away as they strung together yet another two-out rally to send in two more runs. The rally started with a single through the left side from Ryan Pond that was soon followed by a two-out base knock to right by Synan. After a successful double steal put both runners in scoring position, Knott nearly got out of the inning after inducing a ground ball off Jones' bat. N.C. State's speedy center fielder beat out the throw to first, however, to extend the inning and allow both runners to cross the plate. The Wolfpack managed one more single in the inning before Knott stranded a pair of runners at the corners to take the game into the eighth.

Buchanan proved too much for the Blue Devils in the final two frames, however, as he used just 10 pitches in the eighth and nine more in the ninth to face the minimum six batters. N.C. State capped the 8-1 victory with a 6-4-3 double play which was their fourth turn of the ballgame.

With the series split at one game apiece, Duke and N.C. State will face off in the rubber game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Duke will hand the ball to freshman righty Grant Monroe (4-2, 4.99 ERA) while the Wolfpack will go with senior right-hander Eryk McConnell (4-1, 4.33 ERA).