NC State Baseball
#17 NC State Falls In Extras To Clemson, 4-3
RALEIGH – For just the fourth time this season, No. 17 NC State baseball went to extra innings but ultimately dropped a 4-3 (10) result on Saturday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.
Clemson led for six-and-a-half innings, but the Wolfpack managed to tie it up in the seventh and force the contest to 10 innings. The Tigers ultimately came out on top to even the series.
NC State falls to 38-14 overall and 15-11 in ACC play, while Clemson improves to 30-21 on the year and 13-13 against conference opponents.
Quick Hits
-The Tigers struck early with two runs in the first inning. Michael Green drew a leadoff walk and stole second to get into scoring position, and Grayson Byrd’s double to the left field wall drove him in.
-Byrd doubled Clemson’s lead in the frame, as he crossed home plate on Chad Fairey’s two-out single to center field.
-Will Wilson’s sac fly to center field put the Pack on the board in the third after Dillon Cooper led off the side with a single and stole second and third.
-Clemson extended its lead to two in the seventh. Greene reached on a 3-6 fielder’s choice following a leadoff single, stole second, then scored on Logan Davidson’s RBI single to right field.
-The Wolfpack responded with a pair of runs in the bottom frame to tie it up. Cooper brought in the first run with a bases-loaded groundout to first. With the bases loaded back up, a wild pitch moved the runners around the diamond.
-Just one batter reached base in each of the next four half innings, and in the 10th the Tigers plated what proved to be the game-winning run on Sam Hall’s single to left field.
Inside The Box Score
-Tyler McDonough went 2-for-5 on the day for his team-leading 24th multi-hit game of the year.
-Jonny Butler, Patrick Bailey, Lawson McArthur, David Vazquez and Cooper each contributed a hit in the team’s seven on the day.
On The Mound
-Starter Reid Johnston went 5.2 innings and exited with a career-high nine strikeouts.
-Kent Klyman was charged with the loss after going 2.2 innings and yielding the game-winning run.
On Deck
NC State will close out its home slate Sunday in its series finale with Clemson. The Pack will look to clinch the weekend with the Tigers at 1 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park, as there will be a live broadcast on the ACC Network Extra as well as a free audio stream on WKNC 88.1 FM.