The N.C. State baseball team split a pair of games with Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium during the weekend, snapping a 10-game conference losing streak. The Wolfpack’s last victory over an ACC opponent came on March 9 against Notre Dame.
The Pack (18-12 overall, 4-10 ACC) started off the series on the wrong foot Saturday afternoon, as Clemson used a key eighth inning and strong pitching from sophomore left-hander Matthew Crownover to take the first game by a score of 6-1.
Crownover tossed eight innings, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out seven State batters. With the win, the Ringgold, Ga. native improved his record to 6-2 on the season.
No Wolfpack batter had more than one hit on the afternoon. Freshman infielder Kyle Cavanaugh provided the lone RBI for N.C. State in the top of the fourth when he singled to left field to score junior outfielder Bubby Riley, who had been hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Riley’s run made it 1-0 in State’s favor, but from there it was all Clemson.
“It’s hard to play with enthusiasm when you’re on a skid,” Wolfpack manager Elliott Avent said. “I guess you could say we were snakebitten.”
The Tigers struck back in the bottom half of the fourth inning . Freshman catcher Chris Okey and senior infielder Steve Wilkerson brought in a pair of runs on two RBI singles, giving their team a lead that it would not relinquish.
Clemson increased its lead to 3-1 two innings later, but the day belonged to Crownover, who didn’t allow another hit until he was replaced in the ninth by senior righty Matt Campbell, who held the Wolfpack scoreless despite allowing two hits.
Wolfpack junior lefty Carlos Rodon went the distance despite the loss, fanning five Tigers to bring himself within seven strikeouts of Terry Harvey’s school record of 386 set from 1992-95. However, Clemson roughed up Rodon for six runs on 11 hits and put the final nail in State’s coffin with three runs in the bottom of the eighth aided by a pair of Wolfpack errors. Rodon’s record dropped to 2-5 on the season.
State bounced back in the second game Sunday afternoon, using a huge ninth inning to pull away from the Tigers and salvage a split of the first two games of the series.
“We made a commitment to play better today,” Avent said. “It feels good to finally get a win.”
The Wolfpack took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when junior shortstop Trea Turner singled, stole second and then scored all the way from second on a passed ball. The Tigers scored two runs in the bottom half on an error by junior second baseman Logan Ratledge and a single by Wilkerson.
Senior lefty D.J. Thomas relieved senior righty Andrew Woeck, who started the game, in the second inning and pitched masterfully, scattering three hits over 5.2 innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Junior righty Eric Peterson took over for the final two innings and gave up two runs, but by that point the Pack had the game in hand.
“The team was playing great defense behind me,” Thomas said. “Clemson hit it hard, but our fielders were always there. That helped me stay in the groove.”
State’s offense finally woke up in the sixth when freshman third baseman Andrew Knizner blasted a solo homer to left with two outs, his fourth of the season. The Pack jumped on top one inning later, chasing Clemson sophomore lefty Zack Erwin from the game. Erwin gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out seven during 6.2 innings. He was relieved by freshman righty Drew Moyer, who gave up an RBI single to Turner to make it 3-2.
The Pack erased all doubt with regards to the result in the top of the ninth, exploding for six runs. Junior center fielder Jake Fincher highlighted the burst with a two-run triple. Fincher also made it home when the Clemson third baseman was unable to field to third.
“We took advantage of every opportunity we were given,” Avent said. “We had some guys with great at-bats.”
The Wolfpack and Tigers will round out the series Monday night at 7 p.m. vised on ESPNU.
