NC State Baseball
#17 NC State Clinches Series With 8-3 Win Over Clemson
RALEIGH –No. 17 NC State baseball jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, as it closed out its home slate on Sunday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park with an 8-3 victory over Clemson.
It was a complete effort at the plate and on the mound, as the Wolfpack picked up its first ACC series win since April 6 (at Boston College) and sixth of the year. Including nonconference opponents, NC State was won nine series this season.
The Pack improves to 39-14 on the year and 16-11 in ACC play, while the Tigers fall to 30-22 overall and 13-14 in conference action.
Avent’s Additions
“This weekend was big. Everyone’s fighting to get wins in this league and they’re hard to get,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “Every game this weekend was a dogfight, and everyone’s trying to do what they have to do at the end of the year. We want to start playing like we were earlier this year and a big part of that is injuries. We’re still missing a few but we’re close to getting everyone back.”
“I’m really proud of my guys. All three games were tough and all of them could have gone either way. We just found a way to do it.”
Quick Hits
-The Pack got off to a strong start, plating three runs in the first inning. Patrick Bailey singled up the middle with the bases loaded to bring the first run across, and a groundout double play and wild pitch tacked on the other two.
-Clemson got on the board in the second on Justin Hawkins’ RBI single through the right side after a pair of base hits on one out put runners at first and second.
–Dillon Cooper drove in Brad Debo in the fourth to extend his team’s lead back to three. Debo led off with a double to right center and threatened on Terrell Tatum’s fly out to right field.
-NC State strung together three hits after a fielder’s choice to knock in three runs in the seventh. Jonny Butler drove in two with his double to right center, and after he advanced on an errant throw back home, he crossed home plate on Will Wilson’s single through the right side.
-Michael Green’s two-run homer to left field in the seventh cut the Tigers’ deficit to 7-3.
-The Pack tacked on a run in the eighth thanks to Will Wilson’s double to left center, scoring Butler from first after he reached on a 1-6 fielder’s choice.
Inside The Box Score
-J.T. Jarrett turned in a career-high 4-for-4 performance with four base hits.
-Wilson additionally tallied three hits in his four at-bats.
-The team’s 12 hits marked the 20th time this season it has put up double digits in the category.
-With the three doubles that were hit in the contest, the Pack has hit 119 on the year which leads the ACC and ranks top 10 in the NCAA.
On The Mound
-Four pitchers contributed to the win, led by Cameron Cotter who went 3.2 innings and allowed two earned runs. He matched his career best in strikeouts with five and improved to 5-3 on the mound.
-David Harrison got the Pack off to a strong start as he threw the first 3.0 innings and scattered four hits while yielding a run.
-Evan Justice and Dalton Feeney tossed the final 2.1 innings and combined to allow one hit.
On Deck
NC State will close out its regular season this week with a three-game series at in-state ACC rival No. 12 UNC-Chapel Hill. The teams will play Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Boshamer Stadium.
The first two games will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, while the series finale will be aired on ESPNU. There will additionally be a free audio stream on WKNC 88.1 FM.