This time of year, the games are not easy.
Top-seeded N.C. State slipped by the fourth-seeded Binghamton Bearcats, 4-1, at Doak Field on Friday in the Pack’s opening game of the 2013 NCAA Regional.
The Pack’s bats got hot early. The second batter of the game, sophomore rightfielder Jake Fincher, laced a single to right-centerfield off Binghamton starter Jack Rogalla (5-5). Senior first baseman Tarran Senay followed with a towering home run to give the Wolfpack a 2-0 advantage after one inning. Senay now has seven homers on the campaign.
The Bearcats promptly responded in the top of the second inning. Junior designated hitter Shaun McGraw singled up the middle to lead off the frame. Junior first baseman Brian Ruby then lined a single down the rightfield line. N.C. State senior starting pitcher Ethan Ogburn induced a double play from junior shortstop John Howell, but McGraw scored on the play to cut the deficit in half.
Ogburn darted in and out of trouble and allowed the Binghamton leadoff hitter to reach base safely in three of the four innings he started. After allowing a leadoff single in the fourth inning and walking another Bearcat batter, N.C. State head coach Elliott Avent went to the bullpen early and inserted junior righty Andrew Woeck.
Woeck escaped the jam, buoyed by a sensational diving catch in rightfield by Fincher.
“Jake Fincher is that guy, that makes plays,” Avent said. “Big time players make big time plays in situations when it matters most.”
“The only thing I can say is wow.”
“That is potentially a game-changer,” Binghamton head coach Tim Sernicki noted. “We go from being down, 2-1, to probably up, 3-2, at that point.”
“I give a lot of credit to that young man [Fincher] for making that play.”
With two out in fifth inning, Avent then turned to senior Josh Easley (6-2). The righthander from Weatherford, TX went the rest of the way for N.C. State, going 4.1 innings and yielding only one hit and one walk, while striking out four Bearcat batters to earn the win.
I probably had a little bit of a quick hook on Ethan [Ogburn] and I probably had a bit of a quick hook on Woeck,” Avent noted. “It just felt like it was going to be a one-run game.”
“We have got such a deep bullpen,” Avent added. “It is more of the privilege because of the deep bullpen than what the guys were doing.”
Sophomore shortstop Trea Turner gave the Pack some breathing room with a home run to leftfield on a 3-2 pitch. It was Turner’s seventh home run of the season, tying him with Senay for the team lead.
“Trea is a great player,” Avent said. “He is as good a player as I have had the privilege to coach.”
“It felt good to square up a ball,” Turner said. “I need to build on that for the rest of the season.”
With the win, State improves to 45-14 on the season and will return to action on Saturday at 7 p.m. against William & Mary, who defeated Ole Miss, 4-2, earlier on Friday.
Starting for the Wolfpack will be sophomore lefty Carlos Rodon (8-2, 3.48 ERA), coming off his scintillating 10-inning, one-hit performance against top-ranked North Carolina in the ACC Tournament. The winner of that contest will play for the opportunity to advance to the Super-Regional the following weekend.
