Earning the top seed in its pool did not help NC State baseball in this year’s ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack fell 5-2 to Florida State at Durham Bulls Athletic Park Friday night, going 0-2 in pool play and failing to advance beyond that stage for the second year in a row.
The Wolfpack (40-16) mustered just five hits against the Seminoles (41-17) as starter Drew Parrish threw a complete game and NC State fell to Florida State for the third time in a week.
“We just got through playing them three times in Tallahassee,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “We see the teams that we see this year and we played a great schedule. That’s as good a team and as hot a team as we’ve seen all year. They’re playing their best baseball of the season.”
NC State senior ace Brian Brown started on the mound, and put up his worst performance of the season. Brown lasted just 2.1 innings, by far his shortest outing of the season, and allowed four runs on six hits while walking two and striking out five.
Parrish threw a complete-game gem against the Wolfpack, allowing just two runs on five hits while racking up a career-high 14 strikeouts.
“That’s twice we’ve seen him in a week, and there’s not enough good things I can say about him,” Avent said. “Three pitches wherever he wants to throw them for a strike. Mike Bell, their pitching coach, does a great job of utilizing a guy who has that kind of command and ability. He had a great plan and pitched us as tough as we’ve been pitched all year. Tip your hat to Parrish; he was unbelievable.”
The Seminoles got off to an early start, as a one-out double to the warning track from catcher Cal Raleigh, one of three hits for the team in the top of the inning, put Florida State up 1-0.
Florida State tacked on three more runs in the top of the third with an RBI single to right from first baseman Rhett Aplin and home run off the bull in left field from Raleigh to make it 4-0.
Avent replaced Brown with sophomore lefty Nolan Clenney with one out and runners on second and third in the same inning, the first time all year the 2018 ACC Pitcher of the Year has thrown fewer than five innings. Clenney escaped the inning without further damage.
“Brian Brown was very good for two innings,” Avent said. “The third inning was where they did most of the damages. He made some big pitches the first two innings; the third inning he just couldn’t make the pitch.”
Sophomore reliever Kent Klyman loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fifth, but NC State got a double play to limit the damage to one run as Florida State took a 5-0 lead. Klyman threw 3.2 innings for the Wolfpack, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out three and walking three.
The Pack got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as junior catcher Jack Conley led off with a single, and junior first baseman Evan Edwards brought him home with a double off the left-field wall. It was initially ruled Edwards was thrown out trying to take third, but a replay determined the tag was never applied.
McLain then brought home Edwards with a two-out single to left, bringing the Wolfpack within three, but NC State mustered just two base runners the rest of the way and could not solve Parrish.
“We faced two good pitchers yesterday and today,” McLain said. “Parrish threw lights out. The guy Virginia threw last night threw great. We’ve just run into tough pitching. We’re just going to stay with what we do. We’ve hit well all year. We’re just going to keep pushing.”
The Pack will appear in an NCAA Regional next weekend and is still likely to host at Doak Field; the NCAA selection show will be Monday at noon on ESPNU.
Junior infielder Evan Edwards dodges a tag at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Friday. Edwards went 1-3 with one run scored and one strikeout as the Wolfpack lost to Florida State 5-2.
