The NC State baseball team rebounded to beat the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks 6-5 in the second game of the Fayetteville Super Regional, forcing a tiebreaker to determine who will advance to the College World Series.
The Wolfpack (34-18) came back from an early 2-0 deficit, scoring six straight runs and holding off a furious comeback by the Razorbacks (50-12) to get the win.
“This is the most impressive group I think I’ve ever had,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “When you use the word resilience, when you use the word toughness, I instantly think of this team.”
After a scoreless first inning by both teams, the Razorbacks got on the board first with a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to go up 2-0. It looked as though the game was possibly headed in the same direction as the 21-2 blowout in the first game. That was not the case, however, as freshman starting pitcher Sam Highfill (6.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 5 K) retired the next 16 Arkansas batters..
“I battled out there,” Highfill said. “It was tough with the heat… I had a lot of confidence, even after he hit that home run… I just try not to think about too many things I can’t control, and just go out there and try to get outs.”
The Pack got on the board in the bottom of the third as sophomore center fielder Tyler McDonough (0-4, RBI) hit an RBI groundout that scored sophomore third baseman Vojtech Mensik (2-2, RBI, HR) to make the score 2-1.
The Wolfpack offense really turned up a notch in the bottom of the fourth as freshman shortstop Jose Torres (1-4, 2 RBI, HR) hit a two-run home run to put State up 3-2. The fireworks continued as sophomore catcher Luca Tresh (2-4, RBI, HR) hit a solo home run on the very next at-bat and Mensik later hit another solo home run for the Pack’s third deep shot of the inning, making the score 5-2.
“We’re here to play, we’re here to compete, and we’re here to hopefully go to Omaha,” Torres said. “We were never going to dwell on yesterday. We were us… We can’t dwell on the past. We can’t change what happened yesterday. We can only change what happens today.”
After a scoreless fifth inning by both teams, NC State added to its lead as junior second baseman J.T. Jarrett (1-3, RBI) hit an RBI groundout that scored Tresh to make the score 6-2.
In the seventh inning, Highfill gave up his first hit since the second inning on a solo home run to make the score 6-3. After walking the next batter, he was replaced by junior pitcher Evan Justice (2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER 4 K). With two outs, the Pack had a chance to get out of the inning without any more damage being done, but a throwing error by Torres on a ground ball allowed one run to score, and a subsequent base hit by the Razorbacks scored another run to make the score 6-5.
Justice was able to strike out the next batter to get out of the inning, and he retired all six batters in the next two innings to clinch the win for the Pack and put the team one win away from the College World Series.
After giving up 17 hits in the first game, NC State held the Razorbacks to just four hits in the second game.
The deciding game of the Super Regional will be Sunday, June 13 at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or ESPNU. The winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
