From the start, Clemson dominated NC State baseball in a 10-2 ball game.
The Tigers (23-16, 7-9) were red-hot from the plate, smacking three home runs throughout the night and racking up 14 total hits. The Wolfpack (25-12, 8-10) earned its share of hits with nine, but failed to capitalize on its opportunities, stranding nine runners on base.
The Tigers opened the game with a bang, hitting a three-run homer in the first to jump out to an early lead. The Pack failed to punch back throughout the game, allowing Clemson to run away with the win.
NC State scored one of its only runs in the first inning. Junior left fielder Carter Trice hit an RBI groundout to drive in sophomore designated hitter Will Marcy. While the run energized the home crowd, the next several innings drained any hope of the team coming back.
While neither team managed to score in the second, Clemson broke open the game in the third inning. A two-run homer for the Tigers extended the lead to four, while mounting pressure on NC State’s bats. The Wolfpack seemed to respond well, putting runners on second and third but both runners were stranded at the end of the inning, a common theme throughout the night.
“They played better than we did and they won the game,” said head coach Elliot Avent. “We got a lot of men on base and didn’t have a lot to show for it, they got men on base and cashed in.”
In the fourth, Clemson continued to pile on runs, scoring two in the frame. A pair of wild pitches allowed a Tiger baserunner to advance to third before being driven in. The next at-bat, the Tigers punched another run in thanks to an error.
The Wolfpack briefly regrouped in the fifth, keeping Clemson off the board during the inning, but once again failed to seize the momentum. The Pack once again ended the inning leaving runners on second and third base.
Redshirt junior righty Logan Whitaker, who started on the mound for NC State, pitched into the sixth inning before getting pulled. His tough night ended with another Clemson run to make the score 8-1. Through 5.1 innings, Whitaker gave up 8 runs and 10 hits.
Down by seven, the Wolfpack bullpen failed to stop the bleeding on the mound. In the seventh inning, the Tigers’ home run derby continued with a two run shot to put Clemson up by nine. In the bottom of the inning, a balk allowed junior shortstop Kalae Harrison to score the Wolfpack’s second and last run of the evening.
The final two innings were uneventful as the Wolfpack failed to rally after falling behind by eight runs. Fortunately for the Pack, the Tiger bats cooled off at the end of the game and did not score in the final two innings.
The Wolfpack will have a chance to even the series against the Tigers on Saturday, April 22. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Doak Field.
