N.C. State still unbeaten in regional

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Posted 7:25AM on Sunday, June 1, 2003

WILSON, N.C. - The little things have produced so many close wins for North Carolina State all season. Like a player not even in the lineup giving Justin Riley a last-second tip to look for a certain tendency from an opposing pitcher, leading to Riley's game-winning homer in the 10th inning Saturday night. ``It's not just the people you see, it's the behind-the-scenes people too,'' Riley said after the Wolfpack advanced to the winner's bracket with a 4-3 victory over Virginia Commonwealth. ``I am the one that got the bat on the ball, but if I hadn't been told what I was told before I went to the plate, who knows what would have happened.'' Colt Morton hit a pair of home runs and Riley opened the bottom of the 10th with his game-winning blast as the Wolfpack (44-16) touched the nation's top pitching staff for three homers after trailing 3-1 to advance to Sunday's championship game as the only undefeated team in the regional. Morton, in a long-ball slump with just two homers in his last 20 games, got the Wolfpack back in it with a pair of solo shots - one in the sixth and a 450-foot blast two innings later that tied it 3-3. ``That felt pretty good,'' Morton said of his second homer. ``He just threw me the pitch I was looking for.'' The game was then halted by a half-hour of rain that plagued the area all day. Once play resumed, N.C. State coach Elliott Avent went with ace closer Joey Devine, who didn't give up a hit in two innings to improve to 6-2. Riley's long homer came on an 0-1 pitch and was never in doubt when it left the bat. He was mobbed by his teammates at home plate as a dejected Brian Marshall - who came sidearm with the pitch after getting ahead in the count - walked off the mound. VCU (46-12) had its 12-game winning streak snapped and played Western Carolina (42-20) later Saturday night. The winner would have to beat the Wolfpack twice to advance to a Super Regional. Jeff Parrish hit two home runs off N.C. State ace Vern Sterry to give the Rams the early lead. The 6-foot-4 catcher had just seven homers in 396 career at-bats heading into the weekend. After belting one in VCU's opening 6-0 victory over Western Carolina on Friday, he touched Sterry for a two-run shot in the second and a solo homer two innings later for a 3-1 lead. Starter Sean Marshall gave up just four hits in six innings before giving way to Cla Meredith, one of the country's best relief pitchers. Meredith, with a 1.08 earned run average, mowed down the Wolfpack in the seventh. But after getting the first out in the eighth, he saw Morton hit his 18th homer on a 3-2 pitch to tie the score. ``I wasn't feeling too good,'' Avent said of VCU's stacked pitching staff. ``Major league teams don't have two closers and they have two closers in college one from the right side and one from the left. You just have to credit our guys for battling all the way through.'' VCU should have had a 4-1 lead when Adam Hargrave fell down on a routine ground ball to second base in the sixth, then threw wildly toward home plate. But Danny Lopaze wasn't running hard with two outs from second and failed to score on the play. Sterry, who allowed just four hits in seven innings, then struck out Robbie Gragnani with the bases loaded to halt the rally. Riley's homer was his 17th of the season as the Wolfpack won for the first time in 15 games when trailing after seven innings. ``This thing is far from over, but this puts us in a good situation,'' Avent said.