ATLANTA – Left fielder Brian Wright went 6-for-6 with two home runs and seven RBI to lead visiting NC State (9-8, 2-1 ACC) to a 16-8 victory over top-ranked Georgia Tech (13-5, 1-2 ACC) on Sunday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The Wolfpack scored early and often en route to their second victory in the three game Atlantic Coast Conference series, marking their first series win ever in Atlanta. NC State score four runs in both the first and second innings to take an early 8-0 lead and grab control of the game.
Wright tied the NC State school record with six hits, and set a new personal career high with seven RBI. Colt Morton had four hits, including his team-leading fifth home run of the season, and drove in four runs while Justin Riley added his third home run of the season for the Wolfpack. Sean Walsh and Jeremy Dutton each added two hits in the victory.
Mike Sollie (2-0) picked up the win in relief, holding the Yellow Jackets scoreless for 2.2 innings after starter Daniel Caldwell allowed five runs in 3.1 innings. Josh Miller picked up his fourth save of the season by tossing three innings to close out the game.
Tech starter Kevin Cameron (2-1) took the loss after being roughed up for seven runs on six hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of work.
The Yellow Jackets trimmed the lead to 9-5 with three runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth, but NC State scored three runs in the top of the seventh to retake control at 12-5. The Wolfpack added two more runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Tech’s Brian Prince went 4-for-4 with two RBI, while Jon Henry Kail added four hits and three RBI in five at bats. However, the Yellow Jackets failed to capitalize on numerous other scoring opportunities and left 12 men on base in the game.
Georgia Tech will return to action when the Yellow Jackets visit Georgia State on Tuesday at 4 p.m., while NC State will face Winthrop on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Knights’ Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C.
