The NC State baseball team swept the Bucknell Bison in a three-game series using a seven-run seventh inning in game three to ink the comeback Sunday at Doak Field.
Junior outfielder Lawson McArthur launched a grand slam after coming in for defense to take the lead and ultimately clinched the win over the Bison (0-3). After scoring in almost every inning on Saturday, the Pack (3-0) needed just two big innings to overcome a couple pitching mistakes.
“Just really happy for him,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “Here’s a guy who’s been here behind Brett Kinneman, Josh McLain and Brock Deatherage so that didn’t lead to a lot of playing time for anybody the last couple years for him and he got a big hit at a big time for us.”
NC State failed to score in the first inning for the first time in the series but got on the board in a big way in the second inning. With two outs and two men on base, sophomore outfielder Terrell Tatum singled into left field to score freshman outfielder Tyler McDonough right before freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik tripled to score junior designated hitter Brad Debo and Tatum.
For the first time this season, the Pack gave up a big inning in the third inning. Sophomore starting pitcher Nick Swiney ran into trouble by hitting a batter and walking the next two. With two outs, Avent went to the bullpen for sophomore Reid Johnston, who became a reliable starter halfway through last season.
Johnston gave up back-to-back singles to left field that scored all three base runners before finally getting a popout to preserve the lead at 4-3. Swiney pitched just 2.2 innings and gave up three runs on one hit.
After coming in with the bases loaded and giving up two hits, which were Swiney’s runs, Bucknell was shut down by Johnston in the middle part of the game. He threw 3.1 innings, gave up no runs on just three hits and collected four strikeouts.
“[Johnston’s] working on some mechanical things and while you’re working on mechanical things, you don’t want him to have too much pressure starting,” Avent said. “He started in the bullpen last year, that’s when he became Reid Johnston, by coming out of the bullpen and being dominant so we thought that’d be a good comfort place.”
As soon as Johnston came out of the game, the Bison jumped all over the Pack bullpen. With junior Andrew Blake on the mound, Bucknell got three hits and two runs on just one out before junior Kent Klyman took the ball and gave up a two-run home run with two outs to lose the lead for the first time this season.
In the 7-4 deficit, the Pack needed clutch hitting in the final three innings and that’s exactly what it got. As soon as the Bucknell starting pitcher, Jack Simpson, came out, senior first baseman Evan Edwards took the relief pitcher deep with a moonshot pulled to right field.
“It got the team going a little bit,” Edwards said. “After that, we just kept rolling with that inning and seeing the ball pretty good right there.”
Sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey followed Edwards with a walk and McDonough was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Debo came through for the Pack with a single up the middle that scored Bailey and moved McDonough to third base.
However, the Pack wasn’t close to done as sophomore second baseman David Vazquez walked to load the bases for McArthur, who launched the game-sealing shot over the fence in right field in his first official at-bat of the season.
“I just saw it in, reacted to it and basically put my best swing on it and that’s what happens,” McArthur said. “I think I got some more of those in the tank but definitely one of the farthest balls I’ve ever hit.”
Just for fun, Mensik continued the inning with a one-out double and later scored on an RBI single off the bat of Edwards, who scored the first run of the inning on his homer, to make it 11-7 NC State.
With the pressure off, McDonough also tacked on a run with his first career home run to right-center field. Klyman couldn’t quite close the game out in the ninth as he was pulled for sophomore Dalton Feeney. Klyman allowed just two hits and one run in his first appearance.
NC State continues its 2019 season at Elon on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
Sophomore pitcher Reid Johnston pitches at Doak Field on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. Johnston pitched 3.1 innings, giving up three hits and striking out four as NC State won 12-8.
