Despite an early lead, the NC State baseball team fell to Clemson 10-6 at Doak Field on Friday, April 2, in the first game of the series.
By the end of the fourth inning, the Wolfpack (9-10, 4-9 ACC) had procured six runs for a substantial lead over the Tigers (13-10, 7-6 ACC); however, the momentum didn’t last as a rash of late-game pitching changes and a lack of offense across the board slowed down the Pack heading into the second half of the game.
“Even though it was 6-2, we had great opportunities and we squandered them,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “Once they tied it up, their pitching got a little better… they pitched well. But, we blew our opportunities early.”
Clemson was off to a blazing start after a home run put it up 2-0 in the first inning; however, NC State responded with three runs across in the bottom of the frame. To start, junior left fielder Jonny Butler (4-4, 2 RBI, 2 2B, BB) knocked a clean base hit to left to bring home junior first baseman Austin Murr (2-5, 2B, 2 R). Moments later, junior right fielder Devonte Brown (2-5, 2 RBI) drove in two more runs as Butler and sophomore catcher Luca Tresh (1-5, R) crossed home plate.
The real highlight of the first half of the ballgame came when junior second baseman J.T. Jarrett (2-3, BB) hit a searing home run in the bottom of the second inning, after a failed bunt attempt, to widen the Wolfpack’s lead to 3-2.
At the top of the third inning, NC State balanced its offensive game with a good show of defense thanks to a 6-5-3 double play. Furthermore, Clemson was scoreless in the fourth inning, during which the Wolfpack grabbed two more runs to further its lead to 6-2 over the Tigers.
However, Butler’s double to bring Murr home for NC State’s sixth run would be the last offensive show of talent for a while as the Pack began to slow down at the beginning of the fifth inning. After a Tigers grand slam tied the game in the fifth inning, the Wolfpack never really matched its momentum from earlier innings.
The next two innings were fairly mundane for NC State — Murr grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the fifth and Torres did the same in the following inning to end the sixth. In the seventh inning, both teams were off the field after the first three batters.
The eighth inning was defined by chaos surrounding the bullpen. The Wolfpack went through three pitching changes by the end of it, at the expense of four more runs for Clemson. Furthermore, neither Jarrett, Murr nor McDonough reached first base in the bottom of the eighth with the Pack sensing defeat heading into the final frame of the game.
Although the ninth inning was scoreless, the damage had been done. Freshman righty pitcher Coby Ingle (1.2 IP, 0 R) was able to redeem a little bit of the Wolfpack’s credibility with two strikeouts to end Clemson’s time at the plate, but it was too little, too late.
A loud double from Butler at the bottom of the ninth seemed promising, especially after Torres’ ground ball allowed him to advance to third, but the four-run deficit caught up with the Pack as the game came to an end.
NC State was led by another great outing from junior righty Reid Johnston (7 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 5 K). Although his line has some crooked numbers, he was dragged down by the two-out grand slam in the fifth and allowing two runners on who eventually scored in the eighth.
At a point in the season where Avent is struggling with bullpen depth, a long start was exactly what the team needed. The Pack will be back on the field to face Clemson on Saturday at 2 p.m.
