The NC State baseball team dominated Boston College 16-4 on Saturday afternoon due to its ability to capitalize on 12 walks drawn off of seven Eagle pitchers.
It was another brilliant performance from sophomore starter Reid Johnston that allowed NC State (29-3, 12-2 ACC) to pull away from the Eagles (14-17, 5-9 ACC). He pitched seven innings and gave up just three runs on seven hits. Senior first baseman Evan Edwards and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey led the team with three hits each.
Johnston started a little shaky in the bottom of the fist, giving up two runs after the Pack had a one-run lead thanks to a fielder’s choice and an error in the first inning that scored junior shortstop Will Wilson. Johnston gave up an RBI triple and an RBI single to lose the lead early.
In the third inning, NC State started to take advantage of the walks as Boston College walked the bases load then walked in a run with one out. Then with two outs, sophomore second baseman David Vazquez came through with a two-RBI single. Vazquez was followed by a two-out, two-RBI double by junior outfielder Lawson McArthur that made it 6-2.
The Wolfpack scored two more in the fourth inning off a deep ball from Edwards that also scored Wilson, but the game wasn’t blown open until the sixth inning when NC State put up six runs.
Wilson walked to lead off the inning and was followed by a Bailey double before Edwards knocked the shortstop in. After the Eagles got two outs and walked another Pack batter to load the bases, Bailey scored on a passed ball to make it 10-2.
McArthur got the clutch hit with a two-RBI double, his second two-out, two-RBI double of the game. Freshman Vojtech Mensik knocked in McArthur on a single and then advanced to second on an error by the center fielder. McArthur finished 2 for 5 with four RBIs and one run scored. The Pack tacked on one more as sophomore Jonny Butler singled home Mensik to make it 14-2.
The Eagles pushed two more runs across the plate, scoring one in the sixth on a solo homer and one in the eighth on an RBI single. The home run was hit off Johnston but Boston College’s fourth run was off junior Kent Klyman.
After another two Pack runs in the ninth because of a Bailey RBI single and an Edwards sac fly, junior Alec Barger closed out the game with a scoreless ninth despite giving up two hits, clinching NC State’s fifth ACC series win of the season.
The Pack had 13 hits to go with its 12 walks. The team has collected a lot of walks this season, ranking third in the entire country coming into this week, but its Saturday win featured a lot of free runs.
The series finale between NC State and Boston College will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. where the Pack is going for its third ACC sweep on the year.
