Behind sophomore right-hander Reid Johnston’s masterful complete-game shutout, the No. 1 NC State baseball team bounced back from its loss Friday night and took down Virginia 3-0 Saturday night in front of a sold-out Doak Field.
The Wolfpack (26-2, 9-2 ACC) managed just enough offense behind sophomore left fielder Jonny Butler’s first home run of the season while the Cavaliers (16-11, 6-5 ACC) got a solid performance from right-hander Noah Murdock but couldn’t muster any runs as the Pack evened the series.
“I thought it was a great college baseball game; two pitchers went at it,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “Their guy was very good, just like their three guys last night. This has been a series of pitching so far, with two good teams both playing great defense.”
Johnston pitched an absolute gem from start to finish, going the distance and throwing the first complete-game shutout of his NC State career. He kept the Cavaliers off-balance all night, working in his improved breaking ball en route to striking out seven, surrendering just one walk and giving up six hits on just 104 pitches.
Virginia never advanced a runner beyond second base and all of its hits were singles.
“[Johnston] commanded the strike zone,” Avent said. “He used his changeup effectively and he was very, very good.”
It was the first complete game shutout by an NC State pitcher since former Wolfpack left-hander and current Chicago White Sox starter Carlos Rodon mowed down William & Mary back in 2013 in the Raleigh Regional.
The Pack struck first with an RBI double from sophomore second baseman David Vazquez that scored freshman center fielder Tyler McDonough from first base to put the Pack up 1-0. Senior first baseman Evan Edwards got the mini rally started with the Pack’s first base hit of the evening, but freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik would strand two runners to end the threat.
NC State found some more runs in the 5th inning. With a man on first, Butler hit his first home run of the season over the right-field wall, giving the Pack a more comfortable 3-0 lead. He had eight home runs last season at Heartland Community College, but this was the first of his NC State career and gave the Pack some insurance in the later stages of the contest.
“It was nice, especially for Reid,” Butler said. “He was pitching such a great game and we wanted to get him a couple of runs. Every game it seems like someone is getting a big hit and thankfully today it was me.”
In a series defined by effective pitching, Virginia’s work on the mound held steady throughout the night. Murdock pitched well for the Cavs, throwing seven innings while striking out seven and walking two. Blake Bales came in and pitched a clean inning, but the Wahoo offense never got going.
Johnston got some help from his defense as well. A double play in the seventh ended a UVa threat and a couple impressive plays on grounders for Mensik and junior shortstop Will Wilson kept the Cavaliers off the board. That’s not to say Johnston wasn’t impressive on his own; he faced the minimum three batters in four out of the nine innings he pitched.
The Wolfpack ran into some trouble in the ninth after two UVa hits put the tying run at the plate with just one away, but a groundout and flyout closed the door on a comeback and sent the Wolfpack faithful home happy as the Pack evened the series and took the game 3-0.
It was the 26th win for the Pack, which has won six out of its last seven and own the most wins in the nation.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this, it’s really special,” Johnston said. “I think everybody is just playing loose. We have a lot of attention around us. Everybody just kind of pushes everything to the side and just plays the game hard night in and night out.”
The Wolfpack will look to win the series in the rubber match Sunday at 1 p.m.
