CHARLOTTE — No. 1 NC State baseball erased an 8-6 deficit in the eighth inning, but surrendered a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in a 10-8 loss to South Carolina at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte Tuesday.
The Wolfpack (27-3) scored four runs in the top of the first , but surrendered seven to the Gamecocks (18-11) in the bottom of the inning. Junior shortstop Will Wilson went 4 for 5 for the Wolfpack with three RBIs and a run scored, and hit a two-run homer in the first and the game-tying double in the eight.
“You just can’t give up seven runs in the first inning,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “You’ve got to come ready to play. You’ve got to come ready to pitch and if that’s how you’re going to pitch to start a game, you should lose.”
In the bottom of the ninth inning, with a runner on first and two outs, South Carolina first baseman Jacob Olson clubbed a two-run, shot to left field off NC State freshman reliever Cameron Cotter to end the game.
Before giving up the walk-off, the Wolfpack battled back from a two-run deficit in the eighth inning. Leadoff walks to freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik and freshman left fielder Jonny Butler put runners on first and second with no outs for Wilson. The Pack’s best hitter on the night came through, singling into center to tie the game at eight and taking third on a pair of errors.
The Pack could not get Wilson home, however; as sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey and Debo flew out and senior first baseman Evan Edwards struck out swinging.
“It’s tough, you put up four and they answer back with seven,” Wilson said. “But you never get down with this team. You’re always in the game, no matter how much you’re down. So going into the seventh, going into the eighth, going into the ninth, you always feel like you’re going to win the game. They had a big hit tonight in the ninth, so it’s just a tough loss there.”
The Wolfpack found itself in an early hole after the two teams combined for 11 runs and five homers in an explosive first inning.
NC State took a 4-0 lead in the top of the inning on two-run blasts from Wilson and Debo.
South Carolina took a 7-4 lead in a bottom of the first that saw the Gamecocks hit three homers and bat around as the Wolfpack needed three pitchers to get its first three outs. Sophomore starting pitcher Cannan Silver got the hook after recording just one out, as an RBI fielder’s choice followed by a two-run homer for Gamecocks catcher Luke Berryhill cut the Pack’s lead to 4-3.
Junior righty Alec Barger fared even worse, as he surrendered a solo shot to the first batter he faced, South Carolina right fielder Jacob Olson, to tie the game, and a three-run blast to right by left fielder Brady Allen that put the Gamecocks up 7-4. Barger also recorded just one out before Avent replaced him with sophomore lefty David Harrison.
“This team just keeps battling but you shouldn’t have to battle back from … scoring four in the first, you shouldn’t have to go after seven,” Avent said. “And if you go after somebody, you’re not going to give up seven. But we didn’t go after anybody in the first inning. The pitchers who came in the rest of the game did a great job.”
Bienlien threw 3.1 scoreless, no-hit innings for the Pack, striking out three and walking two while settling the team down after its rough start on the mound.
“My fastball was running and sinking a lot,” Bienlien said. “It took me a while to get a feel for the breaking ball, like an inning or two but once I had that, it was pretty easy. I just threw it, do whatever coach told me to do the whole season. Just limit walks and that’s pretty much it.”
NC State got one back in the top of the second on an RBI single up the middle from Wilson to make it 7-5, but an RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the fourth gave South Carolina an 8-5 lead.
Harrison gave way to junior righty Micheal Bienlien with one out in the fourth. He exited having allowed just one run on two hits while striking out three and walking one in 2.2 innings.
NC State brought the game back within two runs in the top of the fifth as Edwards came home on a sac fly from Debo.
The Wolfpack will be back in action Friday with the first tilt of a three-game series against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
*Editor's note: the original preview photo has been replaced.
The South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate after senior Jacob Olson hit a home run allowing the Cocks to score two more runs putting them above the Wolfpack 10-8 in the bottom of the ninth. The Wolfpack lost to USC 10-8 on Tuesday, April 2, at the BB&T Ballpark.
