The NC State baseball team’s comeback attempt fell just short to No. 1 Louisville, 7-6, in a game that went to extra innings Saturday at Doak Field.
The Wolfpack (13-11, 4-4 ACC) sent out a whopping eight pitchers in 10 innings, while the Cardinals (20-2, 7-1 ACC) had just four. An eventful third inning in which Louisville scored four runs set the tone for the remainder of the game, despite solid efforts from freshman Will Wilson, who went 4 of 5 at the plate with two runs and one RBI, and junior Joe Dunand, who hit a three-run homer that sent the game into extra innings.
“I thought we played hard but we didn’t pitch very well,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “I’m just really proud of the way the guys fought back. They fought back and they tied it up.”
The Pack got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when freshman Brad Debo hit an RBI single to deep center field that scored fellow freshman Will Wilson to give the team a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Wilson tallied his second hit of the day on an RBI single that brought junior Andy Cosgrove home to give State a 2-0 lead. Junior Josh McLain then rifled one down the right-field line, but a questionable foul call brought it back before he struck out to end the second inning.
Left-handed pitcher Brian Brown (0-0, 4.66 ERA) struggled with his control, which became very prevalent in the third, as he loaded the bases with just one out on the board. Louisville junior Colby Fitch then ripped a grounder down the right-field line that brought home two batters to tie the game at two, but he got out coming back to first. Sophomore Devin Mann responded with a two-run homer that gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
“Brown just didn’t have it,” Avent said. “He was missing. He was wanting it, disagreeing with calls, which doesn’t matter. That’s not his style. If he calls it a ball, just give him a little better pitch. Today he just didn’t look good at all.”
Brown allowed yet another hit, this time a double that went deep to center field, leading to Avent replacing him with junior Evan Brabrand. Brown ended the day allowing four runs, six hits, four walks and just one strikeout in 2.2 innings pitched on 68 total pitches.
However, the Pack once again came out swinging to start the bottom of the third. As juniors Evan Mendoza and Joe Dunand advanced to first and second, sophomore Brett Kinneman hit an RBI single that brought Mendoza home to cut the gap, 4-3. Interestingly, Avent argued two controversial calls that the umpires ended up overturning in favor of the Wolfpack.
Freshman Michael Bienlien replaced Brabrand in the fifth inning after the latter allowed one hit and one walk in 1.1 innings pitched. The bats fell silent for both squads with only one hit on each side from the fourth to the sixth innings, with the most movement coming when Bienlien hit two batters in two innings.
Fitch broke the silence for the Cards in the top of the seventh with a homerun to right-center field for his third RBI of the game that extended Louisville’s lead, 5-3. Mendoza made a few nice plays from third that allowed sophomore first baseman Stephen Pitarra to tag runners out and conclude the top of the inning.
Junior Zach Usselman replaced Bienlien on the mound and promptly drilled the first batter he saw. He went on to allow a run later in the inning on a sacrifice fly out to center field, leading freshman Kent Klyman took his spot at pitcher after just .2 innings. The Cardinals ended the eighth with a 6-3 lead after the Wolfpack was held without a run in the bottom of the inning.
The Wolfpack didn’t allow a run in the ninth as it had one last chance to mount a comeback attempt and that’s exactly what it did. Wilson earned his fourth hit of the day and eventually advanced to third off a hit from freshman Brad Debo. With two outs on the board, Dunand then smacked a three-run homer to tie the game at 6, State’s first runs since the third inning. However, the momentum stopped there, as Kinneman lined out to send the game to extra innings.
“I just got a good pitch and I hit it,” Dunand said. “It’s amazing. You don’t do it all the time, but when you do it’s a great feeling. Everyone’s pumped, everyone’s ready to go.”
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Austin Staley stepped onto the mound as State’s seventh pitcher of the game, but allowed two hits and a run before Avent promptly replaced him with junior Cody Beckman, the eighth and final NC State pitcher. Beckman didn’t even have to throw a pitch as he sniped the runner at first to end the 10th with the Cardinals holding a 7-6 lead.
Cosgrove started the bottom of the 10th with a deep fly ball out to left field, but it fell just short of going over the wall as the outfielder made a terrific leaping grab. Juniors Brock Deatherage and Stephen Pitarra both grounded out to end the game as Louisville came out of game two victorious.
“You can’t survive like this,” Avent said. “Offensively we are getting better, defensively we can really play, but we’re going to have to pitch a little better if we want to play in this league.
The Pack looks to bounce back in the third and final game of the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
