Baseball stays perfect with sweep of Pittsburgh in first ACC series

Jaylan Harrington, Staff Writer • March 10, 2019

Sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey sprints after hitting the ball against Pittsburgh on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at Doak Field. Bailey went 2-4 with two doubles, one run scored and one strikeout in the Wolfpack’s 6-5 win.

After dominating Pittsburgh on Saturday, NC State won a close 6-5 victory on Sunday to sweep the Panthers and remain undefeated. The No. 5 Wolfpack (15-0, 3-0 ACC) took the lead in the first inning and never let the Panthers (6-7, 0-3 ACC) on top.

Sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey got things started, batting in sophomore outfielder Jonny Butler and junior shortstop Will Wilson with a double in the first to give the Pack a 2-0 lead. NC State took a 3-0 advantage in the second inning as right-hander Billy Corcoran took over for Pitt’s starter and balked sophomore second baseman David Vazquez home.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Reid Johnston had a great day for the Wolfpack, starting and pitching for five innings. Johnston allowed only two hits on one run to go with five strikeouts on the day. Sophomore left-hander Nick Swiney came in to replace Johnston and the Panthers offense came alive.

With runners at the corners in the sixth inning, Pitt’s David Yanni sent a homer out to right field to tie the game at 3-3. NC State responded immediately, as freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik and freshman designated hitter Luca Tresh walked to get on base in the bottom of that inning. After a Pitt pitching change, junior outfielder Lawson McArthur was sent in to pinch-hit with two outs and his single up the middle brought Mensik home. Butler and Wilson walked in the following at-bats, scoring Tresh.

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Despite the Pitt coach making yet another pitching change, its pitching woes continued as McArthur walked to bring Bailey home. The Wolfpack responded to Pitt’s three-run inning with a trio of runs of its own making it 6-3.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Dalton Feeney replaced Swiney in the eighth. Swiney finishing his day with three hits, three runs and five strikeouts on forty pitches. Down three scores, Pitt wasn’t done yet, scoring on an RBI single and an RBI double to draw within one run. A diving catch by McArthur ended the Panthers’ surge in the eighth and the Wolfpack held on to win 6-5.

Next up, NC State takes its undefeated record to Charlotte as it faces up against UNC-Charlotte on Tuesday.