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No. 24 NC State Takes Opener From No. 4 Tar Heels, 11-1
April 27, 2007 | Baseball
April 27, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C. - Center fielder Marcus Jones hit a grand slam and drove in five runs to lead No. 24 NC State past No. 4 North Carolina, 11-1, in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Doak Field. First baseman Pat Ferguson and second baseman Dallas Poulk each added four hits as the Wolfpack (29-14, 12-10 ACC) handed the Tar Heels (35-10, 14-8 ACC) their worst loss in over a year.
After allowing just two earned runs on eight hits in 17 2/3 innings against NC State over the last three seasons, Carolina right-hander Robert Woodard (7-2) allowed career-highs of eight runs and 12 hits over just 4 1/3 innings Friday. He walked two and struck out four before being lifted in favor of Tyler Trice with a runner on third and one out in the fifth. Now 30-5 in his career, Woodard has lost back-to-back starts for the first time as a Tar Heel.
Left-hander Eric Surkamp (4-2) went seven innings for State, allowing just one run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out three. In addition to their four-hit efforts, Ferguson and Poulk each scored three runs, as did right fielder Ryan Pond, who was 3-for-4 on the night.
Dating back to Wednesday's win over High Point, in which the Tar Heels did not score after the fourth, Carolina was shutout for 10 consecutive innings before getting on the board on an RBI single by center fielder Seth Williams in the seventh. Williams, who was 2-for-4, and second baseman Kyle Seager, who had two hits, including a double, led the Tar Heels on the night.
The 10-run defeat was the worst for Carolina since an 11-1 loss at Georgia Tech March 25, 2006, and the 16 hits allowed were the most by the Tar Heels since Winthrop also had 16 hits last May 10.
Jones put the Pack on the board in the second with the first grand slam allowed by the Tar Heels all season and just the second surrendered by Woodard in his career. NC State loaded the bases on back-to-back singles by Ferguson and Pond, and Poulk reached safely when Woodard bobbled a sacrifice bunt attempt. Jones then sent a 1-0 pitch out to straightaway center for his third home run of the season and a 4-0 lead.
The Tar Heels loaded the bases in the top of the third but were kept off the scoreboard when Poulk snagged a liner off the bat of catcher Tim Federowicz to end the inning and strand three runners.
NC State came right back with two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a seeing-eye double up the middle by Poulk, which drove in Ferguson and Pond, who both singled and scored for the second straight inning. The Wolfpack added runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Ferguson and in the fifth on a run-scoring double by Jones for his fifth RBI of the game.
Down by eight runs, Carolina finally broke through against Surkamp in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Williams. Seager doubled to right center and crossed the plate on a bloop single to right for Williams' 27th RBI of the year.
State closed out the scoring with three runs against Trice in the seventh on Poulk's third RBI of the night, a sacrifice fly by Drew Martin and a single from Vince Gutierrez.
The series continues at 7 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. A webcast of both games is available at ACCSelect.com.
