NC State baseball lost its series opener against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-7 on Thursday, May 4 in South Bend, Indiana.
After falling behind early, NC State (29-15, 8-13 ACC) managed to respond rather quickly to gain some momentum. Throughout the remainder of the game, momentum continued to shift between both teams, which was in part due to struggles on both sides of the diamond. In the end, Notre Dame (26-17, 14-11 ACC) was able to pull away and earn the victory.
On the mound for the Pack was redshirt junior right handed pitcher Logan Whitaker. Despite gathering two quick outs, the Irish were able to strike first as a double off the bat of catcher Vinny Martinez gave Notre Dame a 1-0 lead. The Irish struck again in the second inning as a sacrifice bunt and a base hit helped give the home team a 3-0 advantage.
In the third, the Pack began to come to life, earning two quick walks and putting junior third baseman LuJames Groover at the plate with an opportunity to do some damage. He took advantage of the opportunity, hitting a single to bring in one runner. This marked the first of four RBIs as sophomore left fielder Will Marcy and graduate center fielder Trevor Candelaria each drove in a run. Sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart also helped score another run as he grounded out which helped give NC State a 4-3 lead.
After a rather challenging beginning to the game, Whitaker managed to get settled in and helped limit any further damage by Notre Dame. Despite another batter brought home off the bat of Prajzner in the fourth, Whitaker was able to keep the game within striking distance at 4-4. He finished the game with five strikeouts amidst a staggering total of 100 pitches.
Meanwhile, despite falling into a two-out hole, the Pack responded with a trio of single base-hits. Sophomore second baseman Payton Green was able to take advantage, singling to bring in two runners to put the score at 6-4 in favor of NC State.
In the sixth, junior righty Justin Lawson took the mound in relief. The Irish were able to pounce on him early, putting two runners on base. By the end of the inning, Notre Dame went through its entire lineup and grabbed a 7-6 lead.
The lead did not remain with Notre Dame for long as Green returned to the plate in the seventh. Hoping to return fire against the Irish, he launched a homer to tie the game. This helped finish off an impressive outing for Green, who had three RBIs on two hits.
After suffering a tough sixth inning, Lawson rebounded well as he quickly put away the Irish in the seventh and tallied two strikeouts. In the eighth, the Pack was hoping to keep the game tied as freshman lefty Dominic Fritton entered the game. However, this did not happen as Martinez clobbered a two-run blast to propel the Irish to a late 9-7. This proved to be the defining moment in the contest as NC State was unable to respond.
Throughout the night, the Pack and Irish engaged in a series of momentum-clinching plays. Fans were kept on their toes as each team was able to force mistakes and then capitalize on them. Inconsistent play on the mound and at the plate prevented NC State from truly being able to establish itself throughout the duration of the ballgame.
The Pack will be back in action on Friday, May 5 as it takes on Notre Dame in game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
