The NC State baseball team continued its offensive struggles Tuesday as the Pack was defeated by UNC-Greensboro 7-3 on the road that night.
A second-inning Spartan hot streak pushed the home team into a commanding lead, and the Wolfpack bats were cold on the evening, unable to close the deficit.
Coming into the game, the Wolfpack (10-8, 2-4 ACC) was swept by the Miami Hurricanes over the weekend, getting outscored 17-4 in Coral Gables, Florida. The Spartans (6-10) came into the game off an 8-7 loss to Columbia.
Pack sophomore Ryan Williamson got the start on the mound, while the Spartans sent Freshman Andrew Wantz.
Sophomore first baseman Preston Palmeiro scored the first run of the game by hitting an RBI single to drive in Senior DH Logan Ratledge to take the 1-0 lead.
The Spartans wouldn’t be behind for long, scoring one run during the bottom of the first inning after senior first baseman Aaron Wright drove in a run to tie the game at one apiece.
In the bottom of the second, the Spartans unleashed a scoring flurry and posted four more runs on the scoreboard to make the score 5-1.
Williamson would be pulled from the game after surrendering the five runs on seven hits after only two innings of work. He was relieved by freshman Evan Mendoza.
The Spartans pitching went strong and did not allow a single run after the first inning. During the second inning, senior outfielder Bubby Riley was walked and eventually advanced to third base to create a scoring threat, but senior infielder Jake Armstrong would strike out swinging to end the inning.
Even though the Wolfpack came close to scoring again in the fifth inning after loading the bases with one out, the Spartans escaped the inning by striking out Riley and junior infielder Ryne Willard without letting any of the runners score.
The Spartans would put two more run on the scoreboard during the eighth inning two put the game at 7-1.
Though the Wolfpack scored two runs in the ninth after Palmeiro hit a homerun to right field to drive in Ratledge, it was not enough to dig the Wolfpack out of the hole, and the game ended with the final tally of 7-3.
The Wolfpack was able to get people on base but could not bring players to home plate, batting 3-for-19 with runners on and 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
One bright spot of the game was the performance of Mendoza, who provided a strong showing on the mound, with a final stat line of six innings pitched, two earned runs and three strikeouts. Palmeiro also had a strong showing with one HR and three RBIs in the game.
With the loss, the Wolfpack has now lost four-straight games after winning five of the last six games over the previous two weeks. Additionally, the team owns an abysmal 1-5 record on the road this season.
The Wolfpack will have a chance to split the two-game set with the Spartans Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Doak Field, and with the business end of the conference schedule approaching, will need its bats to come back to life.