In what promises to be a long week filled with hard-fought games on the road to the ACC Championship, No. 13 NC State dropped its opening game of the tournament, 7-3, to No. 11 Florida State May 25 afternoon in Durham.
The Seminoles scratched across the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a sac-fly to center field that broke the 3-3 tie.
The Seminoles loaded the bases with no outs in the inning off Wolfpack senior reliever Will Gilbert, and junior right-hander Tommy DeJuneas allowed all three inherited runners and one of his own to score, breaking the game open heading into the top of the ninth.
The Wolfpack jumped out to a 3-1 lead after four innings, earning runs in non-conventional ways. The Wolfpack scored on a double steal in the top of the second inning, as sophomore right-fielder Brock Deatherage slid underneath the throw home from the shortstop.
The Wolfpack struck again in the third on an RBI ground-out by sophomore third baseman Evan Mendoza to bring the score to 2-1. Freshman left-fielder Brett Kinneman gave the Wolfpack a 3-1 lead one inning later on a bunt up the first-base line that allowed junior shortstop Joe Dunand to scurry home.
Senior designated hitter Chance Shepard nearly put the Wolfpack in front in the top of the eighth inning, but his liner to third was snagged on a diving play by Seminole third baseman John Sansone that likely saved two runs and the game for the Seminoles.
Junior starter Cory Wilder was dominant on the mound when he could find the strike zone. Wilder allowed only two runs on three hits in five plus innings of work; however he was consistently in trouble because of his control issues. In total, Wilder walked four batters, threw two wild pitches and hit one batter. He also left a pitch out over the plate in the first inning that Sansone crushed over the bull atop the left field wall.
However, for all of Wilder’s control issues, he was absolutely dominant when he found the zone and worked well to minimize the damage when he did walk batters. He left the game sporting a 3-1 lead and in line for the win. He outpitched Florida State starter Drew Carlton, who exited having allowed three runs on four hits over five innings.
“I thought [Wilder] was outstanding,” Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent said. “I thought he gave us a chance to win. He set the table for us perfectly.”
Unfortunately for Wilder, the bullpen didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. Senior lefthander Will Gilbert had possibly his worst outing of the season, allowing the two-run, game-tying single by FSU sophomore first baseman Dylan Busby in the sixth inning, before loading the bases in the eighth.
Gilbert was charged with three runs in 1 2/3 innings and was hit with the loss.
The loss is a crushing blow to the Wolfpack’s chances of making the championship game with only two games left in group play.
“We’re just trying to get better every day,” Avent said. “This isn’t just about winning an ACC Championship, it’s about winning a national championship. So we’re just trying to keep getting better every day.
With its rotation in flux and the bullpen struggling, the Wolfpack must regroup quickly with a formidable foe on deck.
The Wolfpack will draw the top seed in the tournament and the No. 2 team in the nation in the Miami Hurricanes. The game will go a long way to deciding whether the Wolfpack will be playing for anything but pride on Friday.
“Miami is always a good team, well prepared,” Wolfpack catcher Andrew Knizner said. “It should be a high-energy game and it should be fun.”
The Hurricanes boast eight players who were named to the 2016 All-ACC Team and won 43 games in the regular season. If the Wolfpack wants to make any noise in this tournament, it’s time to put up.
Junior catcher Andrew Knizner lays a tag on a Florida State runner at home plate at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on May 25. Knizner had 2 hits and one walk during the game. The Wolfpack lost the game to the Florida State Seminoles 7-3.
