May 23, 2003
SALEM, Va. – Nate Cretarolo fired a complete game, six-hit shutout to lead third-seeded NC State (41-14) to a 6-0 win over second-seeded Georgia Tech (40-16) on Friday in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at Salem Memorial Stadium.
NC State advances in the winner’s bracket of the ACC Tournament, and the Wolfpack will face North Carolina in the third game of the day on Saturday at approximately 5 p.m. Georgia Tech will play Duke in an elimination game on Saturday at approximately 1:30 p.m.
Cretarolo (5-3), who had allowed 14 runs in five previous innings in his career against Georgia Tech, avenged a 9-3 loss to the Yellow Jackets on May 16 in Atlanta by holding the Tech hitters at bay throughout the entire game. The southpaw surrendered just six hits, all singles, and one walk while striking out six batters. Four of Tech’s six hits in the game came with two outs and no runners on base, and the Yellow Jackets were shut out for the first time in 2003.
Tech starter Kyle Bakker (8-2) took the loss, allowing five runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings of work.
NC State outhit Tech, 12-6, including two hits apiece from Matt Camp, Jeremy Dutton, Colt Morton and Marc Maynor. Jake Hall went 2-for-3 in the game for the Yellow Jackets.
The Wolfpack struck for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Camp doubled and scored on Justin Riley’s two-out RBI single to left field. Joe Gaetti led off the fourth inning with a double and scored on Maynor’s two-out RBI single up the middle to give NC State a 2-0 lead.
Two more runs in the fifth inning pushed the NC State lead to 4-0. Dutton doubled and Riley was intentionally walked, Morton laced a one-out double down the left field line to score Dutton with the first run of the inning. The next hitter, Gaetti, was intentionally walked to load the bases and David Hicks drove in Riley with the second run of the inning on a groundout.
NC State loaded the bases with no outs in the in the sixth inning and Maynor scored when Dutton forced him in with a walk. Tech reliever Jeff Watchko worked out of the jam and avoided any further trouble by inducing a groundout with the infield drawn in and getting a double play ground ball to end the inning. An unearned run in the bottom of the seventh gave the Wolfpack a 6-0 lead.
Saturday’s complete schedule features four games beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing 30 minutes following the completion of each contest. Florida State will face Virginia in the first game of the day, game two will match Duke vs. Georgia Tech, game three will be North Carolina vs. NC State, and game four will match the game three winner vs. a winner of one of the first two games of the day. Game four will be televised by Fox Sports Net South, Sunshine and Comcast.
Radio coverage for all of Tech’s games in the double elimination tournament will be available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta), while live statistics and the radio broadcast will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
