In the bottom of the ninth inning, patience was certainly a virtue. Four straight walks scored the Wolfpack’s second run of the game as No. 17 NC State baseball earned its fifth series win over a ranked opponent and its second top-10 series win in as many weeks.

Three straight walks and a balk by Wake Forest left-handed pitcher Zach Johnston loaded the bases for the Pack. With only one out on the board, the Demon Deacons were forced to make a pitching change.

On a full count, senior right fielder Noah Soles watched the final pitch go high and proceeded to bat-flip to record the first walk-off of his career.

“This was one of the best college baseball games I have ever been in,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “They handled the whole game well and had to be very good against one of the top pitchers ever in college baseball.”

Facing off against one of the best pitchers in the country, Wake Forest’s (36-18, 15-14 ACC) right-handed pitcher Chase Burns was more than a handful for the Pack (31-19. 17-11). A top-10 MLB draft prospect, Burns pitched seven innings, recording 13 strikeouts. Lights out through the first half of the game, Burns had his way with the Pack lineup, recording six of his 13 strikeouts in his first nine at-bats.

Burns’ ability to throw heat with his fastball and then throw a slider that is 15 mph slower made it hard for Wolfpack hitters to get a read at first, but they began to get some solid contact toward the end of his stint.

While Burns was shutting down the Wolfpack, the Demon Deacons got on the scoreboard first with their only run of the game in the fifth inning. After sophomore left-handed pitcher Dominic Fritton hit a batter, a passed ball advanced Deacons left fielder Mitchell Salvino to second. With a fly-out advancing Salvino to third, a double down the left-field line brought him home to break the ice.

Going toe-to-toe with Burns, Fritton did more than hold his own through 4.2 innings pitched. Fritton started the game with three strikeouts in a row in the first inning. Fritton held Wake to zero hits through three innings, earning high praise from his teammates.

“Every pitch definitely counted tonight going up against Burns,” said freshman right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan. “But we had the better pitcher tonight, in my opinion, in Fritton. He’s been really good for us all year and showed what he could do.”

Fritton’s shorter stint was largely because he quickly racked up over 90 pitches. Unable to retire batters quickly, Fritton’s pitch count in each at-bat climbed, but that didn’t stop him from getting the outs he needed. With runners on base, Wake earned just one hit on 10 attempts as Fritton continually landed big pitches time and time again.

His pitching gave the Wolfpack the ability to respond in the bottom of the fifth after Wake scored in the top. Early on for the Pack, it was the Nixon brothers who found success against Burns.

Singling up the middle for the Wolfpack’s second hit of the night, freshman second baseman Luke Nixon reached first and stole second to put himself in scoring position. Then, on a throwing error by Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston, junior left fielder Chase Nixon reached first, and his brother Luke slid into home plate to tie the game.

For the rest of the game, neither side gained much momentum on the hitting side as both pitching staffs shut down the other team’s offense. Despite only accumulating three hits, Wake left 11 runners on base and couldn’t get a hit with a runner on base after Fritton left the mound.

Each team had a chance to score some runs with bases loaded but only the Wolfpack capitalized. In the top of the seventh, with bases loaded and one out, Dudan struck out one batter and put out another at first to escape the inning unscathed.

Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, the Wolfpack brought a runner in to score to earn its seventh walk-off in ACC play.

Despite not having the best out-of-conference record, with its series-clinching win over Wake Forest, the Pack almost assuredly has done enough to clinch a regional in Raleigh, and for veteran players like Soles, it means everything.

“It would be awesome [to host a regional],” Soles said. “I’ve never been in a Raleigh regional, so that’s a big goal of ours.”

NC State will look to sweep Wake Forest on May 18 at 3 p.m. to honor this year’s group of seniors.