The No. 11 NC State baseball team completed the two-game doubleheader sweep of Davidson Sunday, Feb. 21, with a 6-4 win in game two. The Wolfpack trailed by a run going into the bottom of the seventh, but scored three runs to get back the lead that it would not give back.
“I thought [the players] came out and played in tough circumstances with the weather and playing a doubleheader on opening day,” said NC State head coach Elliott Avent. “I thought they responded [to the VMI series being canceled] tremendously and I was very happy for them.”
As a team the Wolfpack (2-0) had 10 hits on the evening. Sophomore catcher Luca Tresh, junior second baseman J.T. Jarrett and sophomore shortstop Vojtech Mensik each had two hits to lead the team.
After being held scoreless for three innings, NC State scored the first run of the game when Tresh led off the fourth inning with a solo home run to center field.
“Scoring first is always one of our objectives that we try to do offensively,” Avent said. “…[The home run] was kind of a laser shot, line drive that went out.”
The Wildcats (1-2), who had not recorded a hit off freshman right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill before the start of the fifth inning, got back-to-back extra-base hits with one out. The latter was a no-doubt homer from Trevor Candelaria to give them a 2-1 lead.
Jarrett led off the bottom of the frame with a single to left field then stole second to give the Wolfpack a runner in scoring position. Later in the inning, Mensik executed a perfect hit-and-run, scoring Jarrett on a single up the middle to tie the game at two.
“[Associate head coach Chris Hart] talks about it all the time, how he feels like this team has more speed then we’ve had in the past and we can use that to our advantage,” Jarrett said.
Five innings would be it for Highfill, who looked very good for a majority of the game. The Apex native struck out seven while allowing two earned runs on just two hits.
“I think my fastball felt really good today,” Highfill said. “I was able to for the most part throw where I wanted to. Up in the zone especially, I was getting swings and misses that way. Off speed stuff felt good too, but it was really the fastball.”
In the sixth inning, NC State took back the lead as junior left fielder Jonny Butler scored from third base on a wild pitch with two outs. Butler got on base earlier in the inning with a single to right field.
With two outs in the seventh inning, sophomore right-handed pitcher Baker Nelson came in with a runner on first base. Nelson proceeded to give up a RBI double to left field to Candelaria and an RBI single up the middle to John Hosmer to give the lead back to the Wildcats.
Later in the seventh inning, the Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs as senior left-handed pitcher Kent Klyman came into the game. On a 0-2 count, Hosmer attempted to steal home, but Klyman and Tresh were well aware as the Wolfpack tagged him out with ease to end the inning.
The Wolfpack immediately responded in the bottom of the frame with back-to-back RBI doubles from junior first baseman Austin Murr and sophomore third baseman Tyler McDonough to take back the lead. McDonough scored later in the inning on a RBI fielder’s choice to shortstop off Butler’s bat to push the lead to 6-4.
“Our mentality is just to answer back,” Jarrett said. “…We just control what we can control and we are comfortable with the guys we got out there”
Klyman came back out for the eighth inning and retired the Wildcats in order. In the ninth inning, Klyman gave up a leadoff double, but retired the next three batters in order including a strikeout to end the game.
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at Doak Field against UNC-Greensboro. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be televised online on ACC Network Extra. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live coverage.
