Baseball 4/23/2008 8:00:00 PM UNCGSpartans.com

Spartans down No. 22 Wolfpack, 8-7, in extra innings

Box Score

GREENSBORO, NC In their fourth extra inning game of the season, UNC Greensboro came away with an 8-7, 10th inning victory over N.C. State on Wednesday evening at UNCG Baseball Stadium. This was their first victory over an ACC team since shutting out Duke, 6-0, last April and the second time in two years that the Spartans have taken a victory away from the Wolfpack in Greensboro.

The game went though three different lead changes before Matt Gaski ripped a shot out to right field in the bottom of the 10th inning to bring freshman Ray Quinones in for the game winning run. Logan Smith and Ed Jayjack both notched career first home runs as the Spartans improved to a record of 25-15 while still holding onto a 10-5 Southern Conference mark. With the loss, 22nd-ranked N.C. State drops to 27-13 with a 12-8 record in the ACC.

UNCG's Alex Shelton (4-3) gained the victory after coming to the mound to start the seventh. While on the rubber he allowed just one run and one extra base hit. State's Travis High (1-1) took the loss after giving up one run and one hit. UNCG's Greg Smith and the Wolfpack's Jeff Stallings and Jimmy Gillheeney tabbed three strikeouts apiece.

Logan Smith and Ed Jayjack were both 1-for-1 with a run, an RBI, and a home run while hitting in the eight spot. Ray Quinones was 2-for-4 with a run and a pair of doubles. N.C. State's Marcus Jones went 2-for-3 with a run and a double.

The Spartans took their second lead over an ACC team this season after notching a run in the home half of the first inning. Junior Pedro Leon led off the lineup with a double sliced out to right center. Four bats later, a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Tim Carrier brought Leon in for the lead.

The Wolfpack made it a 1-1 game in the top of the second as Ryan Pond was brought in off of a groundout to the shortstop.

With the aid of N.C. State, UNCG regained the lead in inning three. After reaching on a linedrive up the middle, senior Sean Snell rounded his way home off of a wild pitch, a throwing error by the catcher, and then another wild pitch allowed him to cross home.

In the top of the fourth, State took its first lead of the game off of back-to-back two out hits. The one-run lead was cut short when senior Logan Smith knotted the game at 3-3 as his second hit of the season rocketed over the right field wall. The solo marked the team's 41st of the season and Smith's first homer of his career.

In their next at-bat, N.C. State rallied for three to take the lead once again. An infield single by Jeremy Synan got things started as he drove Marcus Jones from third. The next batter in the lineup, Dallas Poulk, rounded in both Synan and Ryan Pond with a hit out to left field to break the tie and give State the 6-3 advantage.

In the sixth, redshirt sophomore Ed Jayjack sent a 1-1 count over the right field wall to cut the lead down by one. Jayjack's bomb was not only his first career home run, but it was his first recorded hit as a Spartan. An inning later, Snell let loose with a right center triple to right center to bring in Leon and make it a one-run game.

With the tying run sitting on third, Carrier slapped a seventh inning line drive towards the N.C. State shortstop. Unable to make the full grab, Foschi knocked the ball out of the air and tossed it to first in time to nab the third out and hold onto the Wolfpack lead.

In the top of the ninth, Russell Wilson hit the third solo of the game up and over the left center wall to give the Wolfpack the insurance run. They had the chance to up it by one more, but a dead-on throw by catcher Adam Deleo picked Jones off at third for the second out. A fly out by Synan closed out the inning with just one run tallied by State.

Down by two with one out, Carrier tallied his first hit of the night with a game tying, dual RBI single through the left side. Carrier's clutch hit plated Leon and Gaski to knot the game at 7-7 and send it into extra innings.

UNCG came out strong in the 10th taking N.C. State three up, three down before freshman Ray Quinones led off with a stand-up double to left center. With one away, Gaski connected with a 1-1 count to round Quinones home and give the Spartans their first victory over an ACC team this season.

The blue and gold remain at home as they battle with the Elon Phoenix for the top spot in the conference. Friday night's game is set to begin at 6pm with both Saturday and Sunday's games starting at 1pm at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

For news about UNCG baseball, complete season schedule, and any other information regarding Spartan athletics log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.

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UNC Greensboro 8, N.C. State 7 (Apr 23, 2008 at Greensboro, NC)

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N.C. State................. 010 230 001 0 - 7 11 2 (27-13)

UNC Greensboro...... 101 101 102 1 - 8 11 1 (25-15)

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Pitchers: N.C. State - Sogard; Cutler(3); Taylor(4); Stallings(5); Rutter(7); Buchanan(8); Gillheeney,J(9); High(10); Kensmoe(10).

UNC Greensboro - Wes McCall; Greg Smith(2); Warren Slack(4); Rob Gilliam(5); Alex Shelton(7).