For the second night in a row, the NC State baseball team mounted a late-inning comeback to win, this time beating UNC-Charlotte 9-6 at Doak Field.
The Wolfpack (4-1) scored four runs in the eighth inning after trailing 6-5, highlighted by a two-run single from sophomore catcher Brad Debo and an RBI hit from redshirt sophomore Dillon Cooper, who went 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs. The 49ers (3-1) piled on four runs in the seventh, three unearned coming off Pack junior outfielder Brett Kinneman, who was making his first collegiate appearance on the mound.
“I think we’re just out there competing,” Debo said. “We’re doing pretty well at playing as a team together. Two comeback wins today and yesterday that just really helps us grow as a team. I’m satisfied with where we are at right now, and I know a lot of us are. We just have to keep getting better.”
Freshman righty Reid Johnston started the game for the Wolfpack, allowing just two hits and no runs over three innings of work. Lefty Joey Cooner started on the mound for Charlotte, throwing 5.2 innings of one-run baseball. Sophomore lefty Kent Klyman got the win for the Pack, while senior right Joe O’Donnell collected his third save of the young season.
The Wolfpack was gifted the first run of the game in the fourth inning, as senior outfielder Brock Deatherage scored from third base on a balk from Cooner. Deatherage showed off his speed to reach third, blazing the basepath for a triple on a ball hit to left field to set up the run. It was just the second hit of the day for the Pack.
NC State’s bats came alive in the sixth inning, as the Pack tallied four runs on four hits and chased Cooner from the game. Debo led the inning off with a double to center field, but the 49ers got two quick outs to follow.
Cooner exited the game after the second out in favor of righty Carson Pinkney, who couldn’t record an out. After a walk to put two runners on base, senior first baseman Shane Shepard laced a two-run double to left. Cooper followed with an RBI single, advancing to third on a throwing error by the left fielder.
Pinkey was replaced by righty Philip Perry, who allowed senior center fielder Josh McLain to drive in Cooper with a double that barely stayed fair down the left-field line and put the Pack up 5-0.
“I’m happy I could help the team win,” Cooper said. “We got up 5-0 and then gave them the lead back. I’m just happy we could come back and get the win.”
The 49ers answered right back in the seventh to take a 6-5 lead, thanks in part to a very questionable pitching decision from NC State. Freshman righty Nick Swiney started the inning on the mound after taking over in the fourth, allowing the 49ers to score two runs on three hits to start the inning.
After Charlotte first baseman Zack Smith drove in the second run of the inning to make it 5-3, Swiney was replaced on the mound by Kinneman; the first career appearance on the mound for the lefty. The reason for Kinneman’s appearance as a pitcher, according to head coach Elliott Avent, was the upcoming stretch of games and the team’s injury situation.
“We’re in a nine-game stretch in 11 days,” Avent said. “That’s impossible for anybody, but especially being as thin as we are right now with some injuries.”
The Kinneman experiment didn’t pan out well for the Wolfpack, as Charlotte took the lead after Kinneman walked two batters and allowed two hits including a go-ahead two-run single from center fielder Reece Hampton. Freshman righty Josh Pike replaced Kinneman on the mound, inducing a ground out to end the inning. Despite the shaky appearance, Kinneman did record his first career strikeout.
“I didn’t have much command with either the fastball or the breaking ball,” Kinneman said. “I just had a little bit of extra adrenaline.”
For the second night in a row, the Wolfpack mounted a late-inning comeback to win the game. The Pack added four runs on four hits in the eighth inning, to grab a 9-6 lead heading into the final frame. After a strikeout to start the inning, four straight Wolfpack batters reached base by either walk or single, including an RBI single for Cooper.
The Wolfpack mounted its comeback in the eighth inning, scoring four runs on four hits to grab a 9-6 lead heading into the final frame. After a strikeout to start the inning, four straight Wolfpack batters reached base, including another RBI hit for Cooper.
Kinneman plated a run on a sac fly, and Debo added a two-run single to add some insurance for the Pack. Senior righty Joe O’Donnell closed out the game for NC State, pitching a scoreless ninth inning to collect his third save of the young season.
The Wolfpack will remain in the friendly confines of Doak Field this weekend, as it hosts Furman for a three-game series.
