On a cold and windy afternoon at Doak Field, the NC State baseball team overcame a slow start to beat UNC-Asheville 6-2 in a game where the bats on both sides struggled to come alive early.
Just one day after the Pack (15-3, 2-1 ACC) and the Bulldogs (3-13) combined for 26 runs and 36 hits in a 15-11 Wolfpack win, the two teams combined for 12 hits, including only two extra-base hits, in harsh conditions for offense. Senior outfielder Josh McLain plated two runs with a sixth-inning double, and redshirt sophomore third baseman Dillon Cooper added two more on a two-run single in the seventh to lead the Pack.
“Today’s game, I’m proud of them because both days have been brutally cold,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “They’ve gone through this stretch very, very well.”
Both pitching staffs also struggled with command in the cold weather, as the Pack walked 11 UNC-A batters and the Bulldogs pitching staff issued nine free passes.
“Today they gave up two runs to a team that put up 11 runs on us yesterday,” Avent said. “To get that few of runs, two runs, when walking 11 people, that’s amazing. Shows we made some pitches when we had to, but we’ve got to have better pitching.”
Freshman lefty David Harrison (0-2, 8.10 ERA), who had been the third weekend starter for the Pack all season, took the bump for NC State. Harrison didn’t last long and struggled to find his command, walking six batters over just 3.1 innings before making way for freshman righty Reid Johnston (2-0, 2.12 ERA).
Johnston continued on what has been an excellent first season, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing no hits and only one walk, while striking out three. Johnston was credited with the win, and has fully found his role with the team as the long-relief arm out of the bullpen.
“I’ve gotten pretty comfortable,” Johnston said. “I treat it like just another game. Do the same thing I’ve been doing all year. I know I’ve got a good defense behind me so I’m just trying to throw strikes.”
After Johnston, freshman lefty Nick Swiney (2-0, 1.08 ERA) tossed two scoreless innings and sophomore lefty Kent Klyman (1-0, 0.79 ERA) finished things out in the ninth.
“Reid’s a strike thrower,” Avent said. “He just goes right after you. He’s one of the many freshmen we’ve pitched this year that’s unafraid. He’s gotten better and better and better, and has been a big part of what we’ve been doing so far.”
For the Bulldogs, righty Beau Nichols started on the mound. Nichols didn’t allow a run over his three innings, but did walk four batters. After Nichols, UNC-Asheville was forced to bring seven different pitchers into the game to get through the nine innings.
UNC-Asheville was gifted its lone run in the second inning, as Harrison walked four batters in the frame to bring a run around with no hits. The Pack got the run back in the fourth, thanks to back-to-back-to-back ground-ball singles from Cooper, freshman second baseman J.T. Jarrett and junior catcher Jack Conley.
NC State broke through in the sixth inning, as McLain laced the first extra-base hit of the afternoon down the left-field line, scoring two runs and putting the Pack up 3-1 after going ahead 3-0 in the count. Senior designated hitter Shane Shepard and Conley drew walks earlier in the inning, and came across the plate on McLain’s double, which barely cleared the glove of the Bulldogs leaping third baseman.
“He was wild early,” McLain said. “I knew he was going to have to groove one down the middle. I was waiting for that pitch, and he ended up throwing it right there.”
The Wolfpack added three more runs in the seventh to make it 6-1, as senior right fielder Brock Deatherage plated sophomore shortstop Will Wilson with a hard-hit, ground-ball single against the shift. Cooper lined a two-run single later in the inning to pile on.
The Bulldogs added a meaningless run in the final inning, piling three hits on Klyman in the inning as shortstop Carmine Pagano delivered the RBI single.
After a very strong start, NC State will now face its toughest test of the season, heading to South Carolina this weekend to take on Clemson, which is ranked 10th in the D1 Baseball Top 25.
“What they’ve done for 18 games, I told them, has been amazing,” Avent said. “I’m just really proud of this group for what they’ve done. Now you go to play a Clemson team who is one of the hottest teams in the country.”
