The No. 10 N.C. State baseball team’s struggles continued this weekend, as it traveled to College Park, Md. The Wolfpack came home empty-handed against Maryland, dropping its second consecutive ACC series to fall to 3-6 in conference play.
Game One
The Wolfpack never got going in the opener on Friday night, falling, 10-0, as the Terrapins roughed up junior left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon to start the series on the right foot. Maryland senior right-handed pitcher Jake Stinnett pitched masterfully, throwing eight scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and striking out 14 Wolfpack batters.
Maryland scored lone runs in the first and fourth innings, but turned up the offense in the bottom of the sixth as they sent 11 men to the plate and scored six runs to chase Rodon from the game, effectively putting the game out of reach. Maryland’s sophomore catcher Kevin Martir singled to center with one out, and Rodon hit and walked the next two batters, respectively, to fill the bases. An error by State’s junior first baseman Jake Armstrong let in the first run of the inning, but the Pack snuffed out a squeeze bunt attempt by sophomore third baseman Jose Cuas for the second out. That’s when the Terps began to pour it on, as Rodon walked junior second baseman Kristhiyan Leal to force in another run.
Freshman righty Joe O’Donnell replaced Rodon and was greeted rudely by Maryland senior shortstop Blake Schmit, who smashed a double to left-center field to drive in three runs and make it 8-0, in favor of the Terrapins.
State could never muster much offense as Stinnett mowed them down inning after inning. The Wolfpack did not register an extra-base hit on the game and also committed four errors in the field. Despite eight strikeouts, Rodon’s record dropped to 2-4 on the season, while Stinnett improved to 3-3.
Game Two
The Wolfpack fell behind early yet again and couldn’t generate enough offense to come back as it dropped the second game, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon.
Maryland struck early with a run in the first inning and three in the second. The second frame featured more two-out production for the Terps, as Wolfpack junior right-handed pitcher Logan Jernigan plunked Schmit with the bases loaded to make it 2-0. Senior left fielder Kyle Convissar followed with a single extend that lead to 3-0, and Jernigan hit another Maryland batter to force in the final run of the inning.
Junior lefty Patrick Peterson replaced Jernigan and held the Terps scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when junior center fielder Charlie White blasted a two-run homer over the right-field fence to make it 6-1. It was one of two home runs between the teams, as Wolfpack junior shortstop Trea Turner also had a solo shot in the top of the fourth.
Trailing 7-1, the Wolfpack attempted to stage a rally in the top of the eighth. Consecutive singles by freshman center fielder Garrett Suggs and junior catcher Brett Austin and a walk to Turner loaded the bases. Freshman third baseman Andrew Knizner singled home Suggs, and Rodon, the designated hitter, was hit to force in another run. Junior second baseman Logan Ratledge added an RBI single, but that was all the Pack could do as consecutive strikeouts ended the inning with the final margin intact.
Game Three
The Terrapins completed the sweep on Sunday afternoon by shutting down the Wolfpack offense one more time en route to a 5-2 victory.
Maryland scored early once again, plating a run in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Martir. The Terps knocked State sophomore left-handed pitcher Brad Stone out of the game after just two outs, as a single to right-center by freshman infielder Mike Rescigno doubled Maryland’s lead and sent Stone to the showers.
Senior right-handed pthcer Andrew Woeck stepped in for Stone and held Maryland down, giving up an unearned run on three hits while striking out eight.
The Pack got a run back in the top of the second as Ratledge poled a long homer over the left-field fence to make it 2-1. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the seventh when the Terps plated another run. Maryland added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eight when Cuas homered down the right-field line to put the game out of reach.
Turner smoked his second homer of the series in the top of the ninth, but that was all the Pack could do as it dropped its sixth game in a row.