NC State baseball took game one of the weekend series 8-5 over Wake Forest on Friday night at Doak Field.
The Wolfpack (37-12, 16-9 ACC) got huge games from the top of the order to boost it to a win over the Demon Deacons (22-27, 11-14 ACC). The first four batters in the lineup collected eight hits and scored six runs.
NC State wasted no time getting runs off Wake Forest starting pitcher Griffin Roberts, who is one of the nation’s top pitchers, averaging 12.52 strikeouts per nine innings.
Back in the leadoff role, senior third baseman Stephen Pitarra raised his on-base percentage with a single to right field, followed by a single to left from senior center fielder Josh McLain.
Then, junior left fielder Brett Kinneman stayed hot with a three-run home run to left field to start the scoring for the Pack. After almost a month without a home run, Kinneman has found his stroke again with two long balls in the last three games.
The Pack scored again in the fourth inning off of Roberts. Freshman second baseman J.T. Jarrett and Pitarra both walked and scored on a single to center field from sophomore shortstop Will Wilson.
Freshman starting pitcher Reid Johnston ran into trouble in the fifth inning when he walked the bases loaded with two outs. All three of his runners scored making the NC State lead 5-3. The first scored on a balk and the other two on a single to right field after redshirt junior Nolan Clenney came in to pitch.
Johnston pitched 4.2 innings, gave up three runs on just one hit and struck out six.
Clenney couldn’t make it out of the sixth inning because of a two-run home run to right center field tying the score at 5-5. Senior Kent Klyman came in after Clenney and finished the game for the Pack.
The Wolfpack answered right back in the bottom of the sixth inning. McLain doubled to left field and moved Pitarra to third base with no outs. Pitarra scored on the second balk of the game and McLain reached the plate on a deep sacrifice fly from Wilson to put the Pack back on top 7-5.
NC State added an insurance run in the eighth inning thanks to a lead-off triple off the bat of McLain. McLain went 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Wilson knocked him in with an extra base hit of his own, a double to right field to make it 8-5. Wilson finished 2 for 4 with four RBIs.
Klyman finished the game with a three up, three down ninth inning. He pitched 3.2 scoreless innings and only allowed three hits.
The Pack will be back on the field on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. for the second game of its last regular season series at home.
Freshman pitcher Reid Johnston delivers the ball to home plate on Friday at Doak Field. Johnston pitched 4.2 innings, giving up 1 hit, 3 earned runs, and striking out 6 as the Wolfpack beat Wake Forest 8-5.
