The No. 12 NC State baseball team won the first two of a three-game series against No. 19 Georgia Tech this weekend before falling in the finale, snapping its eight-game win streak.
The Wolfpack (26-10, 10-6 ACC) caught fire offensively the entire series, scoring 30 total runs on 38 hits and was solid on the mound in the first two games before the Yellow Jackets (24-11, 8-9 ACC) broke things open with 16 runs in Game Three.
In the series opener, the Wolfpack fell behind 2-0 early before scoring three of its own in the fifth inning. Then strong pitching, defense and five more insurance runs proved to be enough to get the win.
With runners on second and third, sophomore center fielder Josh McLain doubled down the left field line, scoring both runs to tie the game at two apiece. After eventually advancing to third, McLain scored to give the Pack the lead when sophomore second baseman Stephen Pitarra hit one to second that was bobbled, allowing both to reach base safely.
After adding another run in the sixth on back-to-back doubles, NC State made a Yellow Jacket comeback improbable with a four-run ninth inning, giving Georgia Tech a five-run deficit while down to its last three outs.
With two outs, sophomore third baseman Evan Mendoza hit a routine fly ball to right that was dropped, scoring the runner from first and allowing him to advance to second. After a Pitarra single scored Mendoza, junior catcher Andrew Knizner singled and sophomore right fielder Brock Deatherage reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Junior first baseman Preston Palmeiro then singled to right to drive in two runners, and the Pack won 8-3.
In the second game, the Wolfpack jumped to an 8-0 lead, and even when the Yellow Jackets closed the gap, NC State kept adding runs eventually winning 15-6 to clinch the series.
Eleven different Pack players notched a hit, led by McLain, who had three hits, two RBIs and scored three runs, and Pitarra, who had three hits in the first three innings and an RBI. Knizner had two hits, an RBI and scored three runs while walking twice. Palmeiro and sophomore shortstop Joe Dunand each had a hit, plus two and three RBIs, respectively.
Wolfpack starting pitcher Brian Brown performed admirably in the second game, carrying a no-hitter into the fifth inning and holding a talented Yellow Jacket squad to seven hits and three walks, while striking out three.
The tables turned in the series finale as Georgia Tech exploded offensively, and while NC State didn’t struggle to score runs of its own, its pitching was subpar, resulting in a 16-7 Yellow Jacket victory.
Down 5-0 in the fourth, the Wolfpack battled back, loading the bases after a walk, a Dunand double to right and another walk, bringing NC State’s home runs leader, senior designated hitter Chance Shepard, to the plate. Shepard delivered with a grand slam — his 10th home run of the year — to tie it.
The Pack wasn’t done doing damage in the inning, as the very next batter, Deatherage, homered to left field, giving NC State its first lead of the game and all the momentum.
But all the work the Wolfpack did to come back and take the lead disappeared in the fifth and sixth innings as the Yellow Jackets scored seven total runs.
A Knizner double and an RBI single from freshman outfielder Brett Kinneman in the seventh made it 11-7, but Georgia Tech answered with five runs of its own in the eighth to win 16-7.
The Wolfpack returns to action Tuesday in Greenville to take on in-state rival East Carolina University.
