NC State 6, JMU 2

Outstanding pitching, timely hitting...

Ryan Pond's tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning led North Carolina State past James Madison 6-2 on Friday night in the Raleigh Regional at Doak Field at Dail Park.

Pond, who had struck out with a runner in scoring position earlier in the game, pulled the ball down the left-field line to score catcher Chris Schaeffer and shortstop Tommy Foschi with the game's decisive runs.

I didn't agree with starting Jake Buchanan today, but, clearly, Tom Holliday knows what he's doing. It was evident early on that Buchanan was going to give the Pack a quality start, as he was getting ahead of hitters and locating his off-speed stuff. Thanks to that performance--and Joey Cutler's outstanding relief work--we're set up beautifully for the rest of the weekend. Here's hopin'.

Steven's Sac Bunt Irk Level:



(My man Spanky called for one in the 2nd--second!--inning, which was nice. But Avent's call for one in the 5th after a man had just walked on four consecutive balls...)

JMU @ NC State Photos

(Click to enlarge.)