Sports > April 16, 2003

By Jason Mazda

Assistant Sports Editor

A week after ace pitcher Kyle Sleeth took his first loss in more than two years, the Demon Deacons were beaten in a home ACC series for the first time since 2001. The Deacs had won seven consecutive home ACC series before dropping two of three to N.C. State April 12-13.

In the first game of a doubleheader April 12, the Deacs got out to a 5-1 lead after three innings as Sleeth, the junior whose NCAA record-tying streak of consecutive wins was snapped the week before, rebounded and gave up just one hit in the first three innings against the Wolfpack. Sleeth got run support early, including doubles by senior Adam Bourassa, senior Jeff Ruziecki, freshman Steven Malinowski and junior Brad Scioletti.

N.C. State then rallied for five runs to eventually take a 6-5 lead in the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, though, the Deacs got four runs on four hits and an error to make it 9-6.

Sleeth danced with danger in the eighth inning, though, and almost took his second loss of the year. He gave up three runs, two unearned thanks to a throwing error by freshman second baseman Chris Getz, and had to give way to junior Adam Hanson, who got the last out of the inning.

The Deacs responded in the bottom half of the inning, though. Sophomore Ben Ingold and Getz each had RBI singles during a two-out rally as the Deacs took the 11-9 lead.

Hanson then came back and did not allow a hit in the ninth, preserving the win for the Deacs.

While Sleeth did not pick up the win, he says he feels better now that the streak is over, and he expects to return to his winning ways.

“I don’t think there’s going to be any more pressure,” Sleeth said.

In the second game April 12, sophomore starter Tim Morley gave up seven runs in the second inning, and the Deacs were never able to recover, losing the game by a score of 11-2.

The Deacs got their only runs of the game on two solo homeruns by junior Jamie D’Antona, his 12th and 13th of the season, and the 49th and 50th of his college career. D’Antona, who went 3-for-4 in the game, and Getz, who went 3-for-3, got six of the Deacs’ seven hits in the game.

In the rubber match April 13, the Wolfpack jumped all over Deacon sophomore starter Brian Bach. Bach gave up five runs, four earned, while failing to make it out of the first inning.

Senior Seth Hill, who came on to get the last out of the first inning, held the Deacs at bay until the seventh inning. In the meantime, the Deacs cut the lead to 5-4 on a grand slam by Ruziecki in the fourth. The Deacs never led, though.

They later cut it to 6-5, but then N.C. State pulled away with seven runs off Hanson, who took the loss as the Deacs fell by a score of 13-6.

The loss dropped the Deacs to 7-7 in the ACC, 17-6 overall. Last season, with largely the same cast, the Deacs went 47-13-1 overall, and 21-12 in the ACC.

But the Deacs are optimistic, hoping that they are just getting a rough patch out of the way and will catch fire when it counts, late in the regular season and in the postseason.

“We’re a streaky team,” Sleeth said. “We’ve been playing pretty cold lately. I think there’s only one way to go, and that’s up. It’s just at a point where we’ve got to get hot.”

After the tough N.C. State series, the Deacs headed to Appalachian State for a non-conference game, and easily beat the Mountaineers, 13-6.

Freshman starting pitcher Kyle Young gave up six runs on 10 hits in six innings and picked up the win.

The Deacs scored nine of their 13 runs in the first two innings. The first five hitters in the first innings scored on homeruns by D’Antona and Scioletti.

Ruziecki and senior Ryan Hubbard also homered in the game for the Deacs. Senior Ryan Johnson was 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hubbard was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and four runs scored, and D’Antona and Scioletti each drove in three runs. Bourassa was caught stealing for the first time this season, after starting a perfect 21-for-21.

It was the first time the Deacs had played a weekday game against non-ACC competition in almost two weeks due to bad weather.

“We need to play games like that to build our confidence,” Sleeth said. “Our confidence is kind of low right now.”

The Deacs’ next ACC series will be April 18-20 when they head to Atlanta, Ga., to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

“It’s going to be a big series,” Sleeth said. “We need it very badly.”