The NC State baseball team completed the three-game sweep of No. 15 Virginia Tech with a 7-6 win in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader. A three-run seventh inning for NC State proved to be the deciding factor in a back and forth game.
“That Virginia Tech team is really good, very explosive offensively with great arms so this was a great weekend for us,” said NC State head coach Elliott Avent. “I am really proud of our players.”
The Wolfpack (19-13, 12-12 ACC) offense was led by freshman shortstop Jose Torres (4-4, 2 RBI) who recorded an extra base hit in every at-bat. Sophomore center fielder Tyler McDonough (2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB) had a great game as well with two home runs in back-to-back plate appearances.
“I just went back to the Louisville series when everything clicked for me, just trying to figure out what I did then,” Torres said. “I was seeing everything well today and it went well for me,”
Freshman right-handed pitcher Matt Willadsen (6 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 6 K) got the start, and while he did not have his best stuff, he battled and limited damage all game when things could have gotten out of hand.
Virginia Tech (21-15, 15-12 ACC) opened the scoring in the second inning when it got back-to-back RBI doubles from Cade Swisher and Nick Biddison with two outs.
The Wolfpack responded in the bottom of the frame with its first run of the evening. Torres led off the inning with a triple then came in to score on a RBI ground-rule double from junior right fielder Devonte Brown (1-3, 2 RBI).
In the third inning, the Hokies added another run on a solo home run to left field from Tanner Schobel. NC State responded once again thanks to a solo home run to center field from McDonough. The bomb occured on the 13th pitch of the at-bat after he fouled off several pitches.
“Anything that was close I tried to foul it off or hopefully a line drive over the infielders head,” McDonough said. “It ended up being a barrel,”
In the fourth inning, the Hokies bats continued to stay hot scoring another run on an RBI double off the center field wall from Biddison.
The blow-for-blow theme continued in the bottom of the frame as NC State added a run on an RBI single to right-center field from junior second baseman J.T. Jarrett (1-3, RBI) to get within one run at 4-3.
Willadsen had seemed to settle in recording the first two outs of the fifth inning, but back-to-back hits including an RBI double off the left field wall from TJ Rumfield gave the Hokies a 5-3 lead.
Coming through in the fifth inning once again was McDonough. He crushed his second home run of the game. A solo moonshot to left-center field.
In the seventh inning, Torres delivered with a clutch double down the left field line that scored both sophomore catcher Luca Tresh (1-3, BB) and McDonough. He came into score later in the frame on a sacrifice fly to right-center field from Brown to give NC State a 7-5 lead.
To make things interesting in the ninth inning, Schobel crushed his second home run of the game, a solo shot to left-center field. After the home run, junior left-handed pitcher Evan Justice (3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K, 2 BB) recorded a fly out and a groundout to close the game out.
“[Justice] has been really good for us,” Avent said. “Just really proud of Evan and what he has done. He just wants to win.”
NC State will be back in action on Tuesday. April 27 for a nonconference game at Appalachian State. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. from Smith Stadium in Boone.
