NC State Baseball
Sixth-Ranked Tar Heels Slip Past #2 NC State in Series Opener, 6-5
RALEIGH, N.C. – The second-ranked NC State baseball team came up short in the series opener against No. 6 UNC-Chapel Hill Friday night, as the Tar Heels slipped past the Wolfpack with a 6-5 win at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack led 4-3 after five innings of play, but the Heels scored three runs in the top of the eighth and held on for the victory.
NC State is now 31-9 on the year and 15-7 in ACC play, while UNC moves to 29-13 and 16-6 in conference games. Ben Casparius earned the win on the mound for the Tar Heels with an inning of relief, while Kent Klyman was charged with the loss for the Pack.
Quick Hits
– NC State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the contest after plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning.
– Patrick Bailey and Brock Deatherage started the frame with back-to-back singles and Bailey scored on an RBI single to left field by Stephen Pitarra.
– Dillon Cooper drove in Deatherage on a sacrifice fly to center field, as NCSU pushed across the game’s second run.
– UNC-Chapel Hill countered with three runs in the fourth to take a 3-2 advantage, but NC State answered with a run in the bottom half to even the tally at three apiece.
– Bailey led off with a solo homer over the right field wall, as he launched a 2-2 pitch from Tar Heels starter Cooper Criswell for his sixth home run.
– An RBI double by Brett Kinneman gave the Wolfpack a 4-3 lead with Josh McLain racing around to score from first base on a ball hit into the gap in left center.
– Ike Freeman came up big for UNC in the eighth, as he hit a bases-clearing double to put the Heels on top, 6-4.
– The Wolfpack threatened in the bottom half of the inning and got a run back on an RBI walk from McLain, but unfortunately a called strikeout followed to end the rally.
Inside the Box Score
– Bailey led the Wolfpack at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, highlighted by three runs, an RBI and a home run.
– McLain singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to nine games, the longest current streak for NC State.
– Freshman Reid Johnston made his second ACC start and pitched 4.2 innings with five strikeouts, yielding three runs on six hits.
On Deck
The Wolfpack and Tar Heels return to the diamond for game two of the series Saturday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
#21 NC State is coming off of a series victory over UNC this past weekend, and a loss to #7 ECU on the road last night. Where does NC State project to land in the 2024 NCAA Tournament?
The Wolfpack have already seen the Pirates twice this season, but according to D1Baseball and Baseball America, they might not be done playing ECU. Both of them project NC State to be a #2 seed in the Greenville Regional, with D1Baseball projecting the Pirates as the #6 seed and Baseball America projecting them as the #8 seed.
NC State has plenty of baseball left to play, with series against UVA (#14), FSU (#10) and Wake Forest (#8). If the Wolfpack can handle business in 2 of those 3 series, you could make an argument for NC State hosting their own regional.
D1Baseball
Baseball America
#21 NC State lost to #7 ECU 6-10 on the road this evening in a midweek game. As a result, the Pirates have won both games against the Wolfpack in 2024.
When you record 10 hits and score 6 runs, you would hope that’s enough offense to win a baseball game.
Unfortunately the Wolfpack pitching staff was unable to contain the bats of the Pirates, allowing ECU to put 15 hits and 10 runs in the Box Score.
Kudos to Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz for making a STATEment in his return to Clark-LeClair Stadium. A-Mak transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. This evening Makarewicz was 2-4 with 1 RBI, 2 Runs, and 1 Walk.
A-MAK 👏 ON 👏 THE 👏 ATTACK 👏#Pack9 | @Alec_mak99 pic.twitter.com/7Lps43hXow
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
A-Mak’s Home Run was a part of back-to-back-to-back Home Runs in the Top of the 3rd for the Wolfpack, with Sophomore Right Fielder Josh Hogue and Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart also hitting bombs.
Hogue Homer 💪#Pack9 | @JoshHogue5 pic.twitter.com/CMV3rCQu4B
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
‘Zart completes the trifecta 🤌 pic.twitter.com/gipiWvbcFb
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
NC State will look to flush this loss, and get ready for a 3-game series at home this weekend against Ball State.
Earlier this season on April 2nd, #21 NC State (22-15) lost to #7 ECU (31-8) 4-12 in Raleigh. This evening the Wolfpack will look to get revenge against the Pirates in a game in Greenville at 6pm.
Overall, NC State holds a 71-43 advantage over East Carolina in the series, which dates back to 1957.
Last year, the Wolfpack and the Pirates split their 2-game series, ironically, losing at home, and winning in Greenville.
Replicating last years results will be no small task. The Pirates are ranked 7th in the land, and boast a 3-1 record against ranked opponents this season. One of those wins was against NC State, when the Wolfpack was ranked 19th. The other two ranked wins were at UNC when they were ranked 15th.
NC State has done well against ranked opponents, going 7-4 against teams in the Top-25, and 4-2 against teams in the Top-10.
The Pirates’ pitching staff leads the AAC and is in the Top-10 nationally in ERA (3.61), WHIP (1.18), hits allowed per nine innings (6.99) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.04).
ECU’s home field advantage is a real thing, going 20-2 at home thus far this season.
Senior Carter Cunningham leads the Pirates in nearly every offensive category, batting .396 with 9 Home Runs. He’s not alone though. Five of ECU’s regular starters have batting averages over .300.
It will be a homecoming for Senior Wolfpack Third Baseman Alec Makarewicz, who transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. A-Mak is having the best season of his career, hitting 15 Home Runs while batting .349. It would be fitting for Makarewicz to win at his old stomping grounds.
NC State’s Baseball team is solidly back in the Top-25 after winning a series over rival UNC this past weekend, winning 2 of 3 at home. Last week, the Wolfpack were ranked 22nd in the Baseball America poll, but in none of the others.
NC State will play a midweek game at East Carolina tomorrow night on the road, and the Pirates rank 7th in the D1Baseball and Coaches Poll.
