NC State baseball scores dramatic, extra inning win in ACC Tournament
NC State baseball started the its ACC Tournament opener against Duke so well that questions were being asked about the formula for the run rule that would end the game early (10-run lead after seven innings). However, this is Wolfpack baseball, and drama tends to follow it in the ACC Tourney.
The Pack was leading 7-1 after three innings and had already forced Duke to go to its fourth pitcher of the game. The contest started with a bang for NC State. Leadoff hitter and junior left fielder Noah Soles walked on four pitches, and then on the first pitch he saw of his at bat, junior third baseman LuJames Groover III blasted a two-run homer over the Blue Monster in left field at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
But after seven runs and six hits through three innings, the NC State bats cooled off, and Duke’s heated up. The Blue Devils chipped away, getting a pair of runs in the fourth and another in both the sixth and seventh.
After NC State failed to get a hit for the sixth straight inning in the top of the ninth, the stage was set for a dramatic finish. Duke senior first baseman MJ Metz took a low pitch from Wolfpack freshman lefthanded reliever Dominic Fritton to opposite field for a game-tying homer that sent some of the Duke faithful jumping shirtless for joy on top of the Blue Devils dugout.
Duke had a chance to walk it off later in the inning, with the winning run at second base, but Soles was able to run down a shallow flyball to left off the bat of Duke senior outfielder Damon Lux to force extra innings.
NC State had runners on the corners with two outs in the 10th, but junior shortstop Kalae Harrison bounced into a fielder’s choice groundout at short to end the frame. In the bottom half, Duke went quietly despite a two-out walk issued by Wolfpack redshirt junior righty Logan Whitaker. Sophomore catcher Andrew Yu, into the game because junior starter Alex Stone was lifted in the ninth for a pinch runner, struck out to end any threat. Stone had gone 4 for 5 before being subbed out.
In the top of the 11th, Duke had to finally relieve ace bullpen arm sophomore righty Fran Oschell III, who allowed just one hit over 4.0 innings and had four strikeouts with one walk. Sophomore righty Jimmy Romano struggled, getting a loud first out from NC State sophomore pinch hitter Chase Nixon to the warning track in right before allowing a single to Soles.
A pair of wild pitches advanced to Soles, the first a bang-bang call at second that stood upon review. Groover was intentionally walked, and on a 3-0 pitch freshman designated hitter Cannon Peebles received the green light. Peebles responded with a sharp base hit up the middle that got past the glove of Romano, scoring Soles for the go-ahead run.
Whitaker worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 11th to secure the 8-7 victory.
NC State baseball improved to 35-18 overall on the season with a big win for its NCAA Tournament resume, while Duke falls to 35-20. The Pack will face Miami Thursday evening with a scheduled first pitch at 7 p.m. The winner advances to Saturday’s ACC Tournament semifinals.
