NC State Baseball
Second-Ranked NC State Drops Series Finale Against No. 6 UNC-Chapel Hill
RALEIGH, N.C. – The second-ranked NC State baseball team loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second, but No. 6 UNC-Chapel Hill held on for the 5-4 win Sunday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack suffers its first series loss and sweep since last season, when the squad bounced back by winning its next 13 series, including 10 in ACC play.
NC State moves to 31-11 on the year and 15-9 in ACC play, while UNC has won eight of its last nine games to improve to 31-13 and 18-6 in conference action. Caden O’Brien earned the win for the Tar Heels and is now 4-0, while Johnny Piedmonte was charged with the loss for the Wolfpack.
Quick Hits
– The Tar Heels pushed across the first runs of the game after a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch with the bases loaded to give UNC a 2-0 lead.
– Brock Deatherage led off the second for NC State with a solo homer over the left field wall to cut the deficit in half on his eighth blast of the season.
– An RBI single from Ike Freeman gave the Heels a 3-1 lead in the top of the third following a hit-by-pitch and a sac bunt to move the runner into scoring position.
– The Tar Heels plated a pair of runs in the top half of the fifth to extend the lead to 5-1 and the Wolfpack countered in the bottom of the inning with two runs to make it 5-3.
– Freshman Patrick Bailey drew a two-out walk and Deatherage stepped to the plate next and hit his second home run of the day to log his first career multi-homer game.
– Stephen Pitarra led off the eighth for the Wolfpack with a double down the left field line and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch to narrow the UNC lead to 5-4.
– NC State looked to rally with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, as three consecutive walks loaded the bases, but UNC got the next batter to fly out to right field to end the game.
Inside the Box Score
– Redshirt senior Joe O’Donnell made his 87th career appearance on the mound, which ties Joey Devine for the program record.
– Deatherage led NC State at the plate with a 3-for-4 outing, highlighted by a pair of home runs and three RBI.
– The Burlington, N.C., native is the fourth Wolfpack player to tally a multi-homer game this season.
– Kent Klyman threw 3.1 innings of relief and struck out a career-high six batters on a career-best 70 pitches. Both runs he surrendered were unearned and he did not allow an extra-base hit, as the Tar Heels only collected one for the game.
On Deck
NC State returns to action Wednesday evening when the squad welcomes the Campbell Camels to Doak Field at Dail Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
#20 NC State will head down to Tallahassee tomorrow for a 3-game series against #7 FSU. Before they do, here’s a look at where NC State is projected to land in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as things currently stand.
Last week, both D1Baseball and Baseball America projected the Wolfpack to play as a #2 seed in the Greenville Regional (ECU), with the former projecting the Pirates to be a #6 seed, and the latter projecting them to be a #8 seed.
This week, D1Baseball has NC State as a #2 seed in the Lexington Regional, with Kentucky as a #5 seed. Baseball America still has the Wolfpack as a #2 seed in the Greenville Region, with the Pirates still sitting as a #8 seed.
D1Baseball
Baseball America
#20 NC State lost to UNC-Wilmington 4-5 this evening at home, losing their 5th straight midweek game. The Wolfpack were swept by the Seahawks this year, ironically losing 4-5 down in Wilmington on April 9th.
Freshman Ryan Marohn got the starting nod, and he was excellent, giving up 1 earned run in 5 innings pitched, striking out 7. It was arguably his best start since his collegiate debut against VCU in the opening series.
Sophomore Shane Van Dam was Mr. Reliable through much of the season, but he hasn’t had his best stuff as of late. This evening, he faced four batters, hitting 2, walking another, and surrendering a hit to the other. Van Dam failed to record an out, and gave up 3 earned runs. Heading into the UNC game back on April 18th, Van Dam had a 2.63 ERA. After the past 4 appearances, his ERA has shot up to 3.96.
Freshman Jacob Dudan settled things down, pitching 4 scoreless innings, giving up only 1 hit, while striking out 5.
Unfortunately, Sophomore Derrick Smith allowed the Seahawks to score a run in the Top of the 10th, which was enough for the opposing team to leave Raleigh with a win, with NC State failing to score a run in the final 5 frames.
Junior Jacob Cozart continues an insane power surge, hitting two more Home Runs tonight. Cozart has hit 7 Home Runs in the past 6 games.
*Scheduled tweet* pic.twitter.com/eHvyuGT6so
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
SCOREBOARD SHOT 🚀 pic.twitter.com/tMvY8imzgG
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
Cozart now has 14 Home Runs on the year. His previous career high was 11.
Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington also hit a Solo Home Run, his 11th bomb of the year.
Goodbye Baseball ✌️#Pack9 | @Garrettpenn14 pic.twitter.com/p0tySYt3aF
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
On Friday, the Wolfpack will head down to Tallahassee for a 3-game series against #7 Florida State.
After sweeping Ball State this past weekend, NC State jumped up in almost all of the Top-25 polls.
Baseball America – 13th (+4)
RPI – 20th (+9)
D1Baseball – 20th (+1)
USAToday Coaches Poll – 20th (+3)
Perfect Game – 25th (-)
