#6 NC State rebounds with 14-2 victory over VT

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Graduate student Johnny Piedmonte took a perfect game into the sixth, a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Wolfpack’s offense did its part, as the sixth-ranked NC State baseball team earned a 14-2 win against Virginia Tech Friday afternoon at English Field at Union Park.

The Wolfpack grabbed an early lead in the contest with three runs in the first and led 11-0 before the Hokies ended the shutout bid in the bottom of the seventh. With the win, NC State evened the series to set up the rubber game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

NC State improves to 22-5 overall and 8-3 in ACC play, while Virginia Tech falls to 11-14 and 5-6 in conference action.

Quick Hits
– Piedmonte turned in one of the best performances in his collegiate career, as he was nearly unhittable in seven innings of work. The Davidson, N.C., native was perfect through 5.1 innings before a one-out hit-by-pitch in the sixth.
– A single to right field ended his no-hit bid in the seventh and a sacrifice fly ended the shutout in the same inning. He struck out six batters and allowed just two hits, both singles.
– For the second consecutive game, NC State scored in the first inning as the Wolfpack plated three runs in the opening frame.
– After singles from Josh McLain and Brett Kinneman, sophomore Will Wilson belted his seventh home run of the season over the wall in left field.
– The Pack added to its lead in the third after an RBI single to right field by Brock Deatherage, scoring Kinneman who walked earlier in the frame.

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– In the fourth inning, Kinneman doubled to deep right field, as David Vazquez and McLain scored to give NC State a 6-0 advantage.
– An RBI groundout from Vazquez and an RBI single by Dillon Cooper pushed the Wolfpack’s lead to 8-0.
– McLain drove in a pair of runs with a single to left field in the seventh and a throwing error led to the third run of the inning for NCSU.
– Deatherage led off the eighth with a solo homer to deep right field, his fifth of the season to make it 12-1 in favor of the Wolfpack.
– NC State extended its lead to 14-1 in the eighth after McLain singled to score J.T. Jarrett and Patrick Bailey.
– Virginia Tech got a run back in the bottom half, but Wolfpack relief pitcher Evan Justice worked a perfect ninth inning to seal the win.

Inside the Box Score
– Deatherage was the only player in the game with four hits, as he turned in a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the plate. It was his first four-hit game this season and the seventh of the year for a Wolfpack player.
– McLain collected three hits in the contest, while Bailey, Jarrett and Kinneman also tallied multi-hit performances.
– The Wolfpack’s leadoff batter reached in six of the nine innings and NC State had at least one baserunner in eight of the nine innings.
– Justice relieved Piedmonte and pitched the final two innings. The Richmond, Va., native had the opportunity to pitch in his home state for the first time in his NC State career.

Up Next
NC State and Virginia Tech return to the field Saturday afternoon for the decisive game three of the series. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.