After a rough loss in the series opener, the NC State baseball team flexed its power to tie the series in a commanding 12-2 win over Notre Dame in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Doak Field.
Senior lefty Brian Brown went the distance on the mound for the Wolfpack (27-7, 12-5 ACC), and freshman designated hitter Terrell Tatum had a breakout game, tallying five RBIs, as the Pack flew past the Fighting Irish (15-20, 6-11 ACC) in a 13-hit outburst. Junior first baseman Evan Edwards blasted a three-run homer as well, his ninth of the season.
Brown (5-0, 1.11 ERA) tossed nine innings, the first complete game of his career, allowing only one earned run on eight hits, while piling up eight strikeouts and just two walks. It was a much-needed performance for the Pack, which was forced to get seven innings of work from its bullpen Friday night.
Lefty Tommy Sheehan was the losing pitcher for the Irish, allowing six runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings of work. Notre Dame was forced to use five different pitchers to finish out the front half of the doubleheader.
Senior center fielder Josh McLain led things off for the Pack in the first inning, and would come around to score on a two-out RBI single off the bat of freshman catcher Patrick Bailey to put NC State up 1-0 early.
After Notre Dame tied things in the third inning with a pair of singles, sophomore shortstop Will Wilson and Tatum plated runs with RBI singles in the bottom half of the frame to put NC State back up 3-1. Junior Brett Kinneman led the inning off with a double, before the two singles scored the runs.
NC State piled on three more runs in the fifth inning, thanks to an RBI double from Bailey, a sacrifice fly out for Tatum and a two-out, RBI single for senior second baseman Stephen Pitarra. Notre Dame added an unearned run in the sixth to stay alive, but the Pack slammed the door shut with a five-run sixth inning of its own to go up 11-2.
Edwards blasted a three-run, opposite field homer after back-to-back walks put two runners on. Tatum came through yet again for NC State later in the inning, plating two runs with a two-out chopper that barely cleared the head of the first baseman.
Tatum added one more run in the eighth inning, coming through with a two-out RBI single for his fifth RBI of the game. Tatum entered the game with just one career RBI.
The Pack and the Irish will square off in the rubber match later Saturday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 6:30 p.m.
