The NC State baseball team nearly suffered its first loss of the season Saturday night, but a late rally led to a walk-off base hit in the ninth inning to beat Florida State 9-8 at Doak Field and extend its winning streak to 19 games.
As it’s been doing all season, the Wolfpack (19-0, 5-0 ACC) refused to go down without a fight, rallying back from four and three-run deficits to down the Seminoles (13-4, 2-3). Freshman center fielder Tyler McDonough knocked in the winning run with two outs in the ninth.
“What we’ve got in the clubhouse is special,” said junior designated hitter Brad Debo. “We just don’t back down.”
Florida State struck first in the first inning when third baseman Drew Mendoza took NC State sophomore starting pitcher Reid Johnston deep to center field for a two-run home run, giving the Seminoles an early 2-0 lead.
The Seminoles scored again the next inning, plating a run on a two-out triple by leadoff hitter Mike Salvatore. Right fielder Reese Albert singled to right field two pitches later and the Seminoles put up two runs for the second inning in a row.
It didn’t take long for the Wolfpack to answer right back. Senior first baseman Evan Edwards led off the bottom of the second inning with a walk and McDonough followed up with a double to left field to put runners on second and third base. After a strikeout by Debo, sophomore Terrell Tatum ripped a double down the left-field line to plate two runs. The next batter, sophomore third baseman David Vazquez, launched a home run over the left-field wall to tie the game up at 4-4.
NC State took the lead one inning later, with McDonough coming through yet again, this time roping a two-out single to right field to score junior shortstop Will Wilson and give the Pack its first lead of the game.
Florida State responded in the fourth, scoring a run on a double by Salvatore to tie the game back up at 5-5. The Seminoles struck again in the next inning, plating the go-ahead run on a two-out seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield.
After things quieted down in the sixth and seventh innings, Salvatore ripped a two-run home run over the left-field wall, giving the Seminoles an 8-5 lead and completing the cycle on the night.
“When Salvatore hit that home run, you go ‘Wow’,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “[His] home run probably would have deterred any comeback from most teams in college baseball.”
With the Pack’s chances at a comeback on life support, sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey and Edwards led off the bottom of the eighth inning with back-to-back walks. After a Florida State pitching change, Debo took a called strike and then launched the next pitch deep to left field for a three-run, game-tying home run.
“I was sitting on a breaking ball,” Debo said. “In that situation, lefty on lefty, you’re probably going to get that.”
Pinch-hitter Devonte Brown and Wilson led off the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back walks to start a rally. After two quick outs and a wild pitch, McDonough stepped up to the plate and smoked a two-strike fastball up the middle for a base hit, scoring Brown and walking it off for the Pack.
“Wow,” McDonough said. “That at-bat, I only saw the pitcher, but after, [it] couldn’t feel any better.”
For the 11th time in its 19 wins, the Wolfpack trailed during the game and came back to win, showing a resiliency that is few and far between on most teams.
“This team just takes over,” Avent said. “The resilience, the belief in the dugout with this ballclub … what a great game.”
The Pack’s 19-game winning streak is the longest in the NCAA and gives the team the most wins in the country.
“This is crazy,” Avent said. “Nobody wins 19 [games] in a row in anything. It’s been a very challenging schedule and these guys have been unbelievable.”
NC State will be back in action and going for the sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Florida State at Doak Field.
Junior catcher Brad Debo celebrates his game-tying home run in the eighth inning against Florida State on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at Doak Field. Debo went 1-4 with one home run, three runs batted in, one run scored and two strikeouts in the Wolfpack’s 9-8 walk-off win over the Seminoles.
