No. 13 NC State baseball fell in Game 2 to Stanford 4-3 in the tenth inning, going 0-12 at the plate in the final four frames.
The Pack (33-17, 17-10 ACC) fought in a tight contest all night with the Cardinal (26-24, 10-19 ACC), but ultimately, the game was decided by who could cash in when it mattered.
NC State held a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, and with one out, the bases loaded and senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio ahead in the count 2-0, the Pack was in prime position to build on its lead. But Stanford reliever Toran O’Harran slammed the door shut, keeping the Pack off the board and the Cardinal in the contest.
DeCriscio struck out on a nasty breaking ball, putting sophomore catcher Alex Sosa at the plate with two outs. Sosa barreled one deep into left field, but as the old addage goes, ‘close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.’ The fly ball fell into the glove of the Stanford left fielder at the warning track, ending the offensive surge.
“In any sport, when you get to this level, at this time in the season,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “When you get opportunities, it’s not easy to cash them in — but when you cash them in, you improve your chances. We didn’t do that tonight.”
Unable to convert in the fifth and after stranding a runner in the sixth, the wind was taken out of the Pack’s sails. The Pack went 0-12 in the final four innings, while Stanford got six runners aboard, enough to tie the game and win it in the end.
Junior reliever Andrew Shaffner gave up the game-tying run in the eighth — a sac fly after he plunked the first two batters of the inning. Sophomore reliever Jacob Dudan came in for the ninth and kept the Cardinal offense at bay, but the Wolfpack bats stayed dormant. Dudan gave up the game-losing run in the tenth after a line drive bounced off of DeCriscio’s glove into shallow right field, letting up an unlikely RBI double.
Junior pitcher Dominic Fritton started on the mound, givin up two runs in 5.2 innings pitched. He pounded the zone, but tired due to the hot and humid conditions.
“He was like three, four miles an hour up tonight. His slider was harder, his change was harder,” Avent said. “He was amped up, but it was a muggy night. He exuded a lot of adrenaline and a lot of emotion.”
Coming into the game, the Pack was in control of its own destiny in the push for the ACC Regular Season Title, needing a sweep to secure its first title since 1986. But after coming up short in Game 2, it needs No. 2 Florida State to defeat No. 4 UNC in Game 3 of their series, and to win Game 3 of its own series. FSU and UNC face off at 2 p.m. Saturday. But Avent is not focused on any regular season accolades.
“That’s for the fans,” Avent said. “That’s what the fans talk about. I’ve always thought about going to the postseason and having a chance to play for a national championship… This time of year, a lot of people pull at you. A lot of people want to talk to you, take you out to dinner. Hopefully, we can limit that stuff.”
In an effort to close out Game 2, Avent spent two of NC State’s top bullpen arms. Both Shaffner and Dudan threw multiple innings and more than 25 pitches. With Dudan, Shaffner and freshman reliever Anderson Nance likely unavailable for Game 3, the bullpen will need to show its depth in the rubber match.
First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Doak Field with a possible regular season title on the line.
