In the final game of the series, the NC State baseball team couldn’t complete the sweep after surrendering a first-inning grand slam as Duke cruised to an 11-2 win at Jack Coombs Field Sunday afternoon.
The Wolfpack (31-8, 15-6 ACC) still managed to clinch the series after winning the first two games Friday and Saturday while the Blue Devils (31-10, 13-7 ACC) used nine hits, eight walks and timely hitting to take the series finale.
“I thought some guys really let the flow of the game get to them, and that was the most disappointing thing to me” head coach Elliott Avent said. “We could’ve made about three plays to allow our pitching to survive and we didn’t do that.”
Sophomore pitcher Michael Bienlien got the start for the Wolfpack, and it didn’t last long. After loading the bases on a walk and two hits, Bienlien yielded a grand slam to Duke’s Griffin Conine to put the Devils up 4-0 in the first frame with just one out.
Bienlien, who eventually was saddled with the loss, surrendered a triple off the center field wall and Avent had seen enough, calling on sophomore right-hander Mathieu Gauthier, one of six pitchers for the Pack on the day.
NC State got a run back in the second inning after a leadoff double from junior first baseman Evan Edwards and a RBI single from senior right fielder Brick Deatherage to close the gap and make it 4-1.
Another run came in to score for the Pack in the fifth inning thanks to a leadoff walk from freshman designated hitter Terrell Tatum and a sacrifice bunt by freshman pinch hitter J.T. Jarrett. Tatum stole third and was driven in by senior center fielder Josh McLain’s double to cut the lead to 4-2.
The run ended up being the last for NC State on the day.
After the Pack battled back with the two runs, Duke took control of the game in the fifth inning. After freshman Evan Justice allowed the first two batters of the inning to reach base, redshirt junior Nolan Clenney came in to try to stifle the Duke bats. Despite the pitching change, the Blue Devils plated six runs, one on a sac fly, three on a bases-clearing double and two on a home run to left field to put the game out of reach at 10-2.
“We kind of let it roll out of hand,” McLain said. “It’s hard to have good at bats when you’re down by eight runs, seven runs, but I think if we had made those plays we would have had a chance to come back. “
Duke continued to pile on the runs, getting another one in the sixth inning on a sac fly and increasing its lead to 11-2, which ended up being the final score.
“Offensively, we just didn’t stick with it,” Avent said. “It’s only the second time this year I’ve seen that happen.”
NC State recorded just five hits and two walks while striking out nine times, an uncharacteristically sluggish performance from the ACC’s top offense.
“We took two from a pretty good team, beat Carolina a couple days ago, we’re rolling right now,” McLain said. “We got a loss but we’re not going to sulk on it.
The Wolfpack will be back in action Tuesday when it faces off with in-state opponent East Carolina Tuesday at 6 p.m.
