March 26, 2008

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - Marshall University junior right fielder Kurt Lipton blasted an RBI double to right field and the Marshall pitching staff hurled a one-hit shutout to help lift the Herd to a 3-0 victory and series split with perennial powerhouse North Carolina State in Wednesday afternoon's non-conference baseball game at Doak Field at Dail Park.

With the win, Marshall snaps a six-game losing skid and improves to 9-12 overall, while North Carolina State falls to 14-8 on the season. Marshall now moves to 1-4 in the all-time series between the two teams.

Wednesday afternoon's win was the first against a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference dating back to 2005 when the Herd took a 12-4 decision from Virginia Tech who had just joined the ACC from the Big East.

After posting a 1-0 lead and then being held scoreless through five innings, Marshall plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Senior left fielder Jeff Rowley drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on Lipton's RBI double to right field. Lipton advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored the Herd's third run of the game when freshman catcher Kevin Shackelford reached safely on a throwing error. Junior shortstop Adam Yeager added a single in the frame but NC State escaped without any further damage, down 3-0.

The Wolfpack broke up the Marshall pitching staff's collective no-hitter in the bottom of the seventh when center fielder Marcus Jones tallied an infield single to third base. From there, Herd senior right-handed reliever Adam Dobies forced a pair of groundouts to third base to hold NC State scoreless through seven innings.

Herd sophomore first baseman Josh Valle tallied Marshall's fourth hit of the game and was bunted to second by Rowley, but was stranded there. Freshman right-hander Arik Sikula came on in the bottom of the eighth inning and retired the side in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to seal the win.

In the top of the ninth, Shackelford notched his first collegiate two-bagger, a two-out pitch laced to left field, but could not add another Marshall run.

Herd redshirt sophomore left-hander Ryan Kiel who entered in the third inning, registered his first win of the season to improve to 1-1, while Sikula picks up his third save of the year with a solid two-inning performance.

Wolfpack right-handed starter Sam Brown picks up the loss for North Carolina State and falls to 0-1 on the season.

Marshall scored a run in the top of the first when Yeager drew a lead-off walk, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and then scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore first baseman Josh Valle.

Herd freshman right-handed starter Ian Kadish allowed no runs and no hits in his second start of the season and pitched two solid innings, striking out two batters.

Marshall loaded the bases in the top of the fourth when Valle drew a one out walk. Following a fly out, Rowley earned a free pass, and junior third baseman Brandon Casamassima laced an infield single to third. NC State right-handed starter Sam Brown was able to force an inning-ending fly out to left field to end the threat.

Kiel entered in the third and pitched three scoreless innings. Following a one-out walk in the fourth, Kiel used a brilliant double-play by freshman second baseman Kenny Socorro who ranged to his right to snag a groundball off the bat of third baseman Russell Wilson, touched second and threw on to first for the second and third outs of the inning. Kiel retired nine of 10 batters faced and tallied one strikeout in 3.2 innings of stellar relief work on the mound.

The Wolfpack posed their biggest threat of the game in the bottom of the sixth as right fielder Matt Payne drew a two-out walk and stole second and third before designated hitter Jeremy Synan earned a walk and stole second, to give NC State two runners in scoring position. Herd junior left-handed reliever Brian Mooney halted the attack there, ending the inning with a strikeout.

Valle extended his hitting streak to 13 games, and currently holds the longest hitting streak of the season by a Marshall hitter (junior right fielder Nate Lape had the previous longest streak of 12 games).

Marshall returns to Conference USA action this weekend with a three-game set against Memphis. The Herd will welcome the Tigers to Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. Friday March 28-30. First-pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. Friday night.