Yet another claw biter for the Wolfpack

Billy Parker once again took the mound for NC State, coming off his first career victory, bringing his earned run average down to a respectable 21 runs per game. Ok, maybe it’s not exactly respectable, but it’s better than where it was after the first game, 29. Parker owned the Boiler Makers in their first at bat, and probably should have gotten out of the inning without a scratch. However on a chance to make the third out of the inning, Ed Taylor fielded a grounder and air mailed it over the head of first baseman Brian Copeland. If Taylor could hit the ball as high as he threw this one, he might actually get on base every now and then. Copeland looked helplessly as the ball sailed some 15 feet over his head. When asked about the throw, Copeland responded, "If he’s going to be playing short all season, it might be a good idea to give me a trampoline at first base." However, even with the error, Purdue was held to a single run.

The first inning for the Wolfpack started off nearly as auspiciously as it did the previous week against Connecticut. For those who had forgotten, the lead-off batter struck out. And yes, this is slow pitch softball we’re playing. Dean Duhon had the honor of leading off. And when that first pitch came in, he was ready. You could see his eyes get really big, and he took a monster swing! The only problem was, he didn’t do a very good job of making contact with the ball. It was a heck of a swing though. Dean did recover however, beating out a grounder for an infield hit. Duhon deflected all criticism about that first swing, stating that it was all part of his grand strategy. “I just wanted to back the infield up a little with a big swing. That way I can use my racehorse like speed to beat out a grounder on the next pitch.” Well, Dean’s superb strategy helped spark a solid Wolfpack rally as his hit was followed up by hits from Jeffery Taylor, Nick Higgins, Billy Parker, and Tracey Smith, among others. The Pack closed out the inning with a 4-1 lead.

Parker continued his mastery of the Purdue hitters in the second as they went out scoreless. Unfortunately, the Pack did the same in their half of the second.

In the third, the Heavens opened up, and a downpour in the form of Purdue base hits flooded the field. Five runs later, the Boiler Makers held a 6-4 advantage. The Pack battled back in the 3rd as Jeff Taylor lead off the inning with a homer, followed by back to back doubles by Ed Taylor and Phil Blalock evening the score at 6.

The wily veteran Bruce Baldwin made his first appearance of the season on the mound in the 4th, and quickly took care of business, silencing the Purdue bats. Yet another rookie, Jason Singer got the Pack offense rolling as he sliced a ball down the right field line. Jason obviously took great pride in his first hit as a Wolfpacker, or had an awful lot of faith in his speed as he admired the lazy motion of his fly ball drifting into a sky of blue, with the calming sound of singing birds in the background as they welcomed the on-set of another beautiful evening on the DC Mall. The Sun was on its downward spiral as the last rays of the day illuminated the monuments………………."Run you wascally wabbit! Run!" Singer suddenly awakened from his mid-summer day’s dream as his teammates screamed for him to run, scooted around first and safely arrived at second. Singer responded by saying, “There’s no point getting a double if you don’t look good doing it. These older guys on the team, they might get on base, but they look so ugly doing it. Now me, I get a double, and I look Cool doing it.” The Fonz couldn’t have said it better Jason. Wolfpack veteran Greg Marlow followed suit by getting on base as well. When all was said and done, the Pack had put a four mark on the board, taking a 10-6 lead.

There was no quit in Purdue though, as they fought back for two in the 5th, and it could have been a lot worse. With the bases loaded and two out, the Purdue batter hit a line-shot at third baseman Tracey Smith, who made a tough play look routine as she calmly snatched it out of the air to end the Boiler Maker threat. After a scoreless at bat in the 5th, the Pack defense gave up two more runs in the 6th to fall behind 11-10.

Amy Bauman led off in the bottom of the 6th and took some really sweet looking swings at the ball. She didn’t hit anything, but the form was excellent. That’s five strike-outs by the team in four games. And I repeat, yes, this is slow pitch softball. If this team followed the rules that most team’s follow, you have to buy the team a case of beer every time you strike out, the end of season party would get really nasty. After the second out, Brian Copeland got a clutch double to keep things alive for the Pack. Then the brother duo of Jeffery and Ed Taylor came through with a triple and double to give the Pack a 12-11 lead going into the 7th.

The question now, could this young Pack team withstand the pressure of the 5th ranked team in the league. A team with year’s of experience and that finished fourth in last season’s alumni tournament. A team known to be faster than a speeding bullet, and to leap buildings in a single bound. A team that had beaten the Pack both times they had met in the history of the series. The first batter crushed a deep fly ball to right center field that appeared to be destined for extra bases. Both Dean Duhon and Nick Higgins converged on the ball, with both reaching the spot in plenty of time to make the play. Higgins gave way to Duhon for the out. The next batter hit a deep fly ball to left field, but Phil Blalock playing a football field’s length from the infield, tracked it down for the second out. Now, the game was on the line, as a runner had reached first, and the possible winning run was at bat. The batter hit what looked to be a base hit up the middle, but Ed Taylor, the ancient one, somehow laid out and knocked the ball down. Grasping the ball, he crawled to the bag to make the game ending out. Thirty minutes later the rest of the team was still trying to get Taylor and his crumpled body back to its feet. With the final out, Baldwin secured his first win of the season, coming on in relief of Billy Parker, who gave an outstanding performance only allowing six runs in three innings. The Pack improved their overall record to 2-1 and now prepare to face local favorite Georgetown.

Player of the Game – For the second week in a row the award belongs to a Wolfpack female. Tracey Smith was outstanding putting in seven strong innings at third and making what was possibly the play of the game, snagging a line-drive with the bases loaded for the third out. Tracey also went two for three from the plate with a double.

A Fond Farewell – Wolfpackers in the area would like to wish fan favorite Jennifer Grieves a fond farewell as she leaves the DC area. Those who have been reading these for a while know her better as the Chair Dancer. She’s definitely going to be hard to replace at the post-game parties, but in this rookie class, there’s definitely some potential.