Losers of six-straight games, NC State baseball is in real trouble.
In the midst of its toughest stretch of the season, NC State is quickly wilting under pressure after falling 7-0 at No. 3 Georgia Tech.
The Wolfpack (18-10, 3-6 ACC) fought hard in its first two games against the Yellow Jackets (22-5, 9-3 ACC), but failed to show signs of life in the series finale. Falling behind in the first inning and never responding with a single run, the performance marked the Pack’s first shutout loss against ACC competition this season.
Managing only four hits all afternoon, the Wolfpack’s boom-or-bust lineup suffered an ugly day at the plate. Furthering damage, NC State’s hits were all singles. Without any extra base hits, NC State only earned three at-bats with runners in scoring position, and went 0-3 with them.
While the top of the Pack’s lineup was fine — three of the top four batters recorded a hit — the rest of the lineup practically vanished. Only redshirt junior catcher Drew Lanphere managed a single among the Wolfpack’s bottom five in the lineup. Notably, senior third baseman Dylan Bargo and sophomore center fielder Ty Head failed to reach base — two players expected to be key contributors for NC State.
On the mound, things were just as bleak, particularly in the back half of the afternoon. Junior lefty Cooper Consiglio started on the mound and suffered a rocky performance. While he earned six strikeouts and only surrendered one walk, Consiglio fell apart towards the end of the day. By the end, the Yellow Jackets picked up six hits and six runs off of Consiglio, including a pair of home runs.
Junior righty Heath Andrews stepped in to relieve Consiglio in the sixth inning, but couldn’t stabilize things for the Pack. In 1.2 innings of action, Andrews gave up three hits and a run, extending the deficit to 7-0. While the loss can’t be pinned on Andrews, given Consiglio’s and the lineups’ struggles, Andrews didn’t give the Wolfpack much of a chance late.
Georgia Tech closed the door fully in the eighth inning by securing a run-rule finish. The Yellow Jackets scored a trio of runs on sophomore righty Collins Black. Never finding his control, Black walked in the first run of the frame. While sophomore lefty Tristan Potts stepped in to make one last attempt to stabilize things, it was too late, and Georgia Tech ran away with a 10-0 victory.
The loss puts the Wolfpack in a precarious position. NC State already lost its weekend series last week at No. 11 Florida State and dropped its most recent midweek against Campbell. Buried in the ACC standings and sitting at 75th in the RPI, it will take a disciplined and consistent finish down the stretch to be in position for the postseason.
Next up, NC State will return to Raleigh for a midweek matchup against Liberty on Tuesday, March 31. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Doak Field and will be available on ACC Network Extra.
