April 25, 2003

RALEIGH, N.C. - Colt Morton homered and drove in three runs, and Michael Rogers and Joey Devine combined to scatter eight hits Friday as sixth-ranked NC State defeated No. 22 North Carolina 3-2 in the first game of an Atlantic Coast Conference series at Doak Field.

The victory lifted the Wolfpack to 35-9 on the season, 12-4 in the ACC. North Carolina dropped to 32-13 overall and 10-6 in the conference. Rogers (10-1), allowed both UNC runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. He walked four and struck out seven. Devine retired all six men he faced to record his ACC-leading 12th save. Tar Heels starter Daniel Moore (5-1) took his first loss of the season, but certainly pitched well enough to win most games. Moore allowed three runs on five hits in 6-1/3 innings. His control was an issue, however. He walked six and struck out six.

The game featured plenty of drama. North Carolina threatened in the top of the first when Chad Prosser, who was hit by a pitch, tried to score on Jeremy Cleveland's double off the wall in left-center. But Marc Maynor hit cutoff man Chad Orvella in perfect position, and Orvella's relay throw home was in plenty of time to nail Prosser for the second out of the inning, short-circuiting the rally. It was not the last dramatic at-bat for Cleveland, who seemed to come up with a cvhance to do damage every other inning.

The Wolfpack took a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the inning. Maynor led off with a walk, and Moore fumbled Jeremy Dutton's sacrifice attempt for an error. With one down, Morton lined a missle the opposite way, off the right-field wall for a long RBI single. Morton belted a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the third, driving in Dutton ahead of him, to increase the Wolfpack's lead ot 3-0.

Chris Ianetta led off the top of the fourth for North Carolina and singled up the middle. Rogers appeared to be out of trouble when he struck out Sammy Hewitt and Mike Daniel, but Ryan Blake reached on an infield single, with both runners advancing on a throwing error on the play. Wes Moyer walked on a close pitch to load the bases, and Greg Mangum singled to left to drive in Ianetta and Blake to slice the lead to 3-2. Prosser walked to load the bases, but Rogers struck out Cleveland swinging to end the inning.

Rogers did not have any easy innings, but he made pitches when he had to. He retired Sean Farrell on a fly ball with two on to end the third, then fanned Cleveland to end the fourth, and pitched out of another jam in the sixth. Ryan Blake led off the inning with a drive to dead center field, but Maynor, after getting turned around on the ball, made a terrific recovery to flag the ball down on the warning track. Mangum hit a two-out single and stole second, and Prosser walked to bring up Cleveland, who duplicated Blake's at-bat by sending a long drive to the wall in dead center field for the final out of the inning.

The series will continue on Saturday, April 26. Game time is set for 1:30.