Different day, same result for NC State baseball as it loses the series finale 8-5 and suffers its first three-game sweep of the season at the hands of Clemson.
There was a sense of deja vu in the air as the Tigers (25-16, 9-9) put on another electric offensive performance with 15 hits and eight runs. The Wolfpack (25-14, 8-12) fell down early and could not complete the comeback despite notching seven hits, which included two home runs.
Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Willadsen took the mound for the Pack and looked like he was in for a good start after stranding two runners in scoring position in the first, but the game got away from him in the second and third inning.
Clemson opened up the scoring in the second inning when they were able to score a run off a wild pitch. It was the third inning when everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for NC State. The Tigers’ first two batters singled to start the inning to set up a two-run double and after that, Clemson continued to get on base and kept putting the ball in play to blow the game open with a five-run inning.
Willadsen was not able to finish the third inning for the Wolfpack with his final line being 2.2 inning pitches and allowing six runs off of ten hits. Starting pitching is usually a strength for the Pack but it failed to deliver against the Tigers.
“Starting pitching has been good all year,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “They got to get back to what they do and we got to figure some things out.”
Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Blake Nelson came in for Willadsen and pitched well, going 4.1 innings on the mound after a short start from Willadsen. Nelson was able to keep Clemson’s offense in check, only allowing two runs and recording four strikeouts in his stint.
After the five-run inning by the Tigers, the Wolfpack fought back with three runs in the third and fourth inning to make the score 6-3. In the third inning, junior third baseman LuJames Groover III hit a sacrifice fly just shy of a grand slam to drive in a run and in the fourth, freshman designated hitter Cannon Peebles blasted a two-run home run.
While Clemson put two more runs on the board during Nelson’s time on the mound, the Wolfpack offense did not quit, scoring one run in the fifth off of a fielder’s choice groundout by sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart. The Pack also drove in another run in the sixth off Peebles’ second home run of the day, bringing the score to 8-5.
“As a team, we just fought pretty hard today, we’ve fought hard all weekend,” Peebles said. “We’ve got enough heart and we’re going to come together and take up momentum during the week and carry that over to the rest of the season.”
NC State just did not have enough offense to win this game as it failed to score in the last three frames. It seems that Clemson has NC State’s number in almost every sport this year and it’s the same story for baseball.
The Wolfpack will look to end its losing streak on Tuesday, April 25 at Doak Field in a huge matchup against No. 7 ECU. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and can be watched on ESPNU.
