The NC State baseball team fell to Kentucky 8-6 in its third game of regional play Sunday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. The Pack could have advanced to super regionals with a win.
Junior Brian Brown got the start for the Wolfpack (38-25, 16-14 ACC) and had a quick start giving up two hits in the first two innings but holding the Wildcats (42-21) scoreless while recording one strikeout.
Junior catcher Andy Cosgrove got the Pack on the board in the second inning with an RBI double scoring junior third baseman Evan Mendoza, who reached on a bunt single, and sophomore left fielder Brett Kinneman, who walked.
Brown gave the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single from Zach Reks and a sac fly from Kole Cottam. Kentucky loaded the bases with two outs, but Brown struck out Luke Heyer to escape further damage.
In the fourth, Kinneman singled with one out and then raced home on a two-out triple from junior right fielder Brock Deatherage for a 3-2 Wolfpack lead.
Marcus Carson tagged Brown for a home run to deep right field to knot the game at three in the bottom of the fourth. Kentucky took a lead it would not relinquish in the fifth. Kole Cottam tripled and scored on a single from Riley Mahan that hit the top of the right-field fence. Brown retired the first two batters in the sixth before a double and a walk ended his night. He finished with 5 and 2/3 innings pitched, six runs, five earned, ten hits, a walk and five strikeouts.
Junior reliever Tommy DeJuneas entered and gave up an RBI single before walking the bases loaded. He left without recording an out. Sophomore Tim Naughton gave up an infield single and threw a wild pitch that put the Pack behind 8-3 before giving way to freshman Kent Klyman who struck out Tyler Marshall to end the inning.
The Pack rallied in the in the seventh when Deatherage doubled and junior first baseman Stephen Pitarra walked to start the inning. Junior center fielder Josh McLain hit into a fielder’s choice before junior shortstop Joe Dunand blasted a ball well over the left-field wall to get the Pack within 8-6 through seven innings.
Klyman held Kentucky scoreless in the seventh and eighth but the Pack was unable to get closer despite some hard hit balls.
The Pack and Wildcats return to the diamond for the third time this weekend on Monday night for a winner-take-all game to decide the winner of the regional. Senior Johnny Piedmonte (7-0, 2.33 ERA) will likely take the mound for the Wolfpack. The winner will advance to face Louisville in the super regionals.
