WILMINGTON — Thanks to a six-run fourth inning and a solid performance from a collection of relief pitchers, NC State baseball picked up an 8-3 win over the University of North Carolina at Wilmington at Brooks Field Wednesday.
Sophomore shortstop Will Wilson had two hits in the Wolfpack’s (26-6, 11-4 ACC) win, including a three-run homer in the fourth that broke the game open. Senior center fielder Josh McLain and sophomore third baseman Dillon Cooper also notched a pair of hits against the Seahawks (20-12) and combined for four RBIs.
“They’ve got a good ball club,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “They’ve got a really, really good ball club, and they’ve got big time pitching. I don’t know how many arms they threw at us tonight but it was about eight or 10. All of them can sling it up there pretty good. Our guys did what they have done all year; they settled down and played the game. … That’s the things we’ve done all year and that’s kind of what’s made us who we are.”
Freshman lefty David Harrison earned the start on the mound for the Wolfpack, surrendering two hits and one earned run in 2.1 innings. Sophomore Kent Klyman, freshman Reid Johnston, junior Nolan Clenney and senior Joe O’Donnell (a Wilmington native) also pitched for NC State, combining to allow just two runs (both against Johnston) on five hits. Johnston earned the win for the Wolfpack.
“It feels good,” Avent said. “You almost have to when you play a Wednesday game. None of us like playing Wednesday games, because whoever you use, if you use them too much they’re not available for Friday night against Notre Dame. We had to be very careful, because we want everybody available.”
UNC-Wilmington struck first in the bottom of the third; a single up the middle from shortstop Greg Jones scored second baseman Jackson Meadows from third to make it 1-0.
The Seahawks nearly made it a two-run game in the same inning, but freshman catcher Patrick Bailey made a diving play at the plate to tag out Jones and end the inning.
NC State was quick to answer back in the top of the fourth as its bats awakened for a six-run inning. A trio of singles Cooper, freshman second baseman J.T. Jarrett and McLain then gave the Pack a 3-1 lead.
“You’ve got guys that are seeing the guy at the plate,” McLain said. “They get a hit and they come over and tell us what he’s throwing. The next guy’s got an idea of what’s coming next. It just piles on and guys just start getting a guy down. Hits are contagious, so it just keeps rolling and rolling and rolling.”
Wilson continued the big inning for the Pack, launching a three-run shot over the center field wall for his eighth home run of the year to make it a 6-1.
“The guy just threw me a fastball, a 3-1 fastball away,” Wilson said. “I thought I took a pretty good swing on it and put it over the right field fence.”
The Seahawks cut the deficit to three in the bottom of the fifth with a towering two-run homer to left from left fielder Zack Canada to make it 6-3.
Senior right fielder Brock Deatherage led off the top of the eighth with a triple, showing off his trademark speed to take third. Cooper then drove him in with a liner to left to give the Wolfpack an insurance run and make it a 7-3 game. NC State tacked on another on a single from McLain that scored Cooper from second for an 8-3 lead to close out the scoring.
The Pack will return home Friday to kick off a weekend series against Notre Dame at Doak Field for the team’s first home game since March 27.
“I cannot wait,” Avent said. “Haven’t seen the Doak in a long time. Cannot wait.”
