#4 NC State Can’t Hold Onto Lead in the 8th, Falling to #5 Clemson 7-6 in the Quarterfinals of the ACCT

#4 seed NC State couldn’t hold onto a lead in the top of the 8th inning, falling to #5 seed Clemson 7-6 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ACC Baseball Tournament this evening.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd with a sacrifice fly, but the Wolfpack put two on the board in the bottom of the 4th to take a one-run lead. Senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio brought home sophomore first baseman Chris McHugh with an RBI single, and junior left fielder Josh Hogue scored on a wild pitch.

Clemson managed to tag junior Dominic Fritton for two runs on two RBI bunts in the top of the 5th, retaking the lead. Fritton exited after 5 innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out six with no walks.

In the bottom of the frame, junior third baseman Matt Heavner’s infield groundout was enough to bring home freshman center fielder Ty Head, evening the score.

Freshman Anderson Nance came out of the bullpen and gave up a solo home run in the top of the 6th, giving the Tigers a one-run lead with two outs.

NC State’s bats responded in the bottom of the frame once again, scoring two runs off RBI singles by DeCriscio and sophomore catcher Alex Sosa, giving the Pack a one-run lead once again.

That lead held until the top of the 8th, when Nance gave up three RBI singles to the Tigers.

Clemson held a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the 8th, and junior right fielder Brayden Fraasman’s RBI single made it a one-run game.

After giving up four earned runs in 2.1 innings, Nance was replaced by sophomore Jacob Dudan, who didn’t allow another run in 1.2 innings of work, striking out two.

NC State had a chance to pull off walk-off magic in the bottom of the 9th inning, but the Pack’s bats went down in 1-2-3 fashion.

After sitting in first place in the ACC standings with two games left in the regular season, losing in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament to the Tigers—after leading in the 8th inning—is nothing short of deflating.

The Wolfpack will now wait and see where they are seeded in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.