NC State Rallies Twice to Beat NC A&T 9-7

RALEIGH, N.C. – Junior Brett Kinneman hit a game-tying grand slam in the fourth inning and a go-ahead RBI triple in the seventh inning to help lift the 12th-ranked NC State baseball team past North Carolina A&T, 9-7, Tuesday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.

Freshman Evan Justice earned the first win of his collegiate career in the contest, while redshirt senior Joe O’Donnell, a Preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Watch List Selection, nailed down his second save of the season.

The Wolfpack moves to 3-1 on the year, while the Aggies fall to 1-2.

Avent’s Additions

Overall thoughts…

”I’ve been here for 22 years and we have played A&T most of those years,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “I’ve had a great relationship with all the coaches there and I just want to say that Coach Hall has done one heck of a job, that’s a whole different A&T team than I’ve ever seen. They looked really good and competitive. All of their guys played hard and smart.

“You’re happy to win and I was proud of how our guys came back being down five runs. I thought we put some good at-bats together against a good team. It’s a good win for us especially after the disappointing game against Seton Hall.”

Quick Hits

– After trailing early, NC State put together a big inning in the fourth, scoring five runs to tie the game at 5-5.

– Shane Shepard drove in the first run of the game for the Wolfpack with an RBI single to center field, as Brock Deatherage scored from second base.

– With the bases loaded, Kinneman stepped to the plate and launched the 3-1 delivery from N.C. A&T starting pitcher Ethan Chavis over the right field wall for a grand slam. It was his first home run of the season and first grand slam of the season for the Wolfpack.

– The Aggies pulled ahead in the seventh after a two-run homer by Adan Ordonez, but the lead was short-lived as NC State countered in the bottom half.

– Freshman Patrick Bailey led off with a single to left field and two batters later, Evan Edwards lined a pinch-hit single to right center.

– Dillon Cooper drove in Bailey on an RBI single and J.T. Jarrett scored on an error by the N.C. A&T center fielder to knot the score at 7-7.

– Kinneman just missed hitting his second home run of the day, as he tripled off the wall in right center to plate Cooper and Josh McLain to give NC State a 9-7 lead.

– With runners on first and second in the ninth, Jarrett gloved the ground ball, stepped on second base and fired to first for the double play to end the game.

On the Mound

– Mathieu Gauthier started on the mound for the Wolfpack and pitched five innings, striking out three while yielding four earned runs.

– Justice relieved him and tossed two innings with four strikeouts to pick up his first collegiate victory.

– Nolan Clenney took over for Justice and threw an inning before handing the ball to Kent Klyman in the ninth. Klyman struck out the only batter he faced, and O’Donnell finished it off to seal the win.

Inside the Box Score

– Kinneman was 3-for-4 at the plate with six runs batted in thanks to the grand slam and two-RBI triple.

– Bailey, Deatherage and McLain were each 2-for-5, while Cooper was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.

Game Notes

– McLain has tallied at least one hit in all four games this season and extends his hitting streak to 12 games dating back to 2017.

– Will Wilson walked in the contest to stretch his reached base safely streak to 20 games.

– The Wolfpack hit its fifth home run of the season in the contest, as the squad is now tied for the ACC lead.

Up Next

NC State returns to action tomorrow afternoon when Charlotte visits Doak Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.