Brandon Butterworth’s walk-off homer leads NC State past No. 11 UNC

Brandon Butterworth grew up an NC State fan in Monroe, N.C., so he was very familiar with the Wolfpack’s rivalry with North Carolina when he arrived as a transfer from Western Carolina. 

After he spent two seasons with the Catamounts to being his collegiate career, Butterworth looked forward to playing against the Tar Heels with the Wolfpack’s red and white across his chest. Though his bat has not been eye popping — .219 with just 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBI entering the contest — Butterworth’s defense at shortstop is what makes him a mainstay in the Pack’s every day lineup. 

But in his first game as a part of the long tradition between the two schools separated by less than 30 miles, it was Butterworth’s bat that made the biggest impact. 

The 5-foot-11, 168-pound junior clubbed a fastball, located slightly up, over the left field fence to hand NC State a 9-8 win over No. 11 North Carolina at Doak Field on Tuesday night, his first walk-off at any level of his baseball career. 

Even after he was dosed with water on the Pack’s infield after clubbing just his third longball of the season, Butterworth’s smile was still as wide as it was immediately following the home run. 

“It was awesome,” Butterworth said. “Just doing that, it was a testament to what we were doing the whole game: keep grinding at-bats, keep getting runs and keep helping our pitchers. I couldn’t ask for a better moment.”

While Butterworth found some pop in his bat, he was not the only player to do so in the contest — there was plenty of that.

The game resembled more of a home run derby than an ACC weekend opener. Each time North Carolina clubbed a pitch over the wall, NC State found a way to level the score — or take the lead. 

“These games are always fun against that team,” said NC State junior catcher Jacob Cozart, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in the contest. “They’re a very good team, very well-coached. We just played our game, stuck with it, did what we’ve always done. Just keep on fighting, keep on pushing. That’s what this team is really good at.”

Of the 13 hits the Tar Heels logged, more than half (7) went for extra bases, including the nearly half dozen long balls. 

North Carolina homered in the first inning before it exploded for a three-run third inning via a pair of long balls. The Pack responded with a leadoff solo shot from third baseman Alec Makarewicz to cut the deficit before the Nixon brothers, Chase and Luke, each drove in a run to push the red and white back in front in the bottom half of the frame. 

By the time North Carolina hit its fourth homer — a fifth-inning solo blast by Parks Harber — NC State had to be slightly more patient on its answer. But that only took until the sixth, even after a long pitching change. 

Cozart, who waited a lengthy amount of time for the Tar Heels to make up their mind on a new pitcher, sent the first pitch he saw from Kyle Percival over the right field fence on a towering moonshot. That gave the Pack an 8-5 lead, as they too could play the long ball game with the Tar Heels. 

But, like the game had gone for much of the night, North Carolina did not go away. Alberto Osuna clubbed a solo shot in the seventh to cut the Pack’s lead to two. The Tar Heels were able to tie the game in the eighth before Butterworth sent everyone home in regulation, avoiding another extra inning affair at the Doak. 

“It was a hard-fought game and everybody did their job, pretty much,” NC State coach Elliott Avent said afterwards. “We got the last at-bat. They hit five home runs, we hit three but we got the last one.”

While the long ball stole the show, NC State received quality relief appearances from Shane Van Dam and Derrick Smith, who earned the win, after starter Sam Highfill only tossed 3.1 innings and conceded four runs. 

Van Dam, a former Division III quarterback, went 3.2 innings and allowed just three runs (two earned) on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts to get the Pack to the end of the game. Smith, NC State’s closer, only allowed one run on one hit with two strikeouts in two innings after he pitched just two days prior in the Pack’s extra-innings loss to Campbell. 

Though that was the case, Smith was able to limit the damage to give NC State a chance at the end. Tuesday night’s loss to the Camels was marred by the Pack stranding the bases loaded in the ninth, but this time around, the Wolfpack found a way to escape with a win. 

And it was Butterworth, the least-expected power hitter in the lineup, that was able to get the job done at the plate. 

“It was something that every kid dreams of,” Butterworth said. “But actually going out there and doing it, I can’t even describe it.”