The NC State baseball team traveled to Blacksburg, Va., to face Virginia Tech, but was handed a Game 1 loss by the Hokies.
The Wolfpack (26-15, 9-10 ACC) couldn’t get the bats going against the Hokies (21-19, 10-12 ACC), losing 0-4 in a shutout by Virginia Tech. This marked the second-straight away series opener the Wolfpack dropped in the ACC, bringing its road record to 4-8.Game by game, the goal to reach regionals from the start of the year is slowly slipping away from the Wolfpack.
The power seen in non-conference play has slowly diminished as the Pack moves deeper into conference play. The Hokies are a good conference opponent, and they showed they are not a team to mess around with.
It was a defensive clash between the two ACC opponents, with a combined 10 hits sent into play.
The Wolfpack pitching did all it could in Blacksburg. Junior right-hander Heath Andrews got the start for head coach Elliott Avent, but his six strikeouts were not enough to stop the power from Virginia Tech. Hokie second baseman Ethan Ball caught Andrews sleeping in the third inning and hit a huge two-run homer to extend Virginia Tech’s lead to 3-0.
The crowd at Atlantic Union Bank Park was behind Virginia Tech starter, Brett Renfrow. He mowed down the Wolfpack, recording nine strikeouts and three hits with zero earned runs. He did everything Virginia Tech wanted, pitching eight innings and saving the bullpen for the rest of the weekend.
The offense for the Pack was sub-par, as only two batters out of the entire lineup recorded hits. The Wolfpack only had three hits the entire game, and weren’t able to string together a single run.
Freshman left fielder, Rett Johnson led the Wolfpack at the plate, going two for three and finding the outfield in the first and eighth innings, but he wasn’t enough to outlast the Hokies. The only other player with a hit for the Pack was junior third baseman Sherman Johnson, who hit a single in the top of the fourth.
Andrews picked up his third loss of the season, and freshman righty Sam Harris got some reps on the mound. He threw three innings, striking out three of the nine batters he faced.
The Wolfpack will try to steal Game 2 on Saturday, April 25. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
