The weather wouldn’t stay away in Greenville where NC State finally finished its first-round game roughly 24 hours after it started. The loss to Campbell consisted of just about everything: two separate weather delays, hail, nine runs on just nine hits, five errors and just one hit short of extra innings.
Nothing about the first game of the regional was normal. It all started with an error charged to junior shortstop Will Wilson on the first play of the game and led to a rough first inning from sophomore pitcher Reid Johnston.
Although Johnston gave up four runs, none of them were earned and three of Campbell’s four total hits in the game came in the first inning. If a team gives up one hit in the last eight innings of a game, there is a very good chance to win but that was not the case for NC State.
Speaking of Wilson, he just did not have it in him for this game. The soon-to-be MLB draft pick made three errors in the field despite only making six errors the entire rest of the season. In his defense, the first play of the game was a very tough chopper and one of the other errors was on a collision with a Campbell runner trying to steal second.
Both plays could’ve and probably should’ve been made, but Wilson’s below-average day defensively wasn’t necessarily as bad as three errors make it sound. However, it’s hard to argue that anything he did with the bat in his hand was working.
The shortstop earned a golden sombrero, striking out four times in a single game. And when pairing that with his three errors, it’s hard to think Wilson has played a game at NC State that is remotely close to the game against Campbell.
Striking out wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in this game for NC State. The opposing starting pitcher, Michael Horrell, dominated the Pack, going seven-plus innings while giving up four runs (one earned), five hits, 11 strikeouts on 118 pitches.
The Pack got back three runs in the third inning off Campbell’s two errors in the inning and two hits. Then, in the seventh inning, sophomore outfielder Jonny Butler broke the silence with a solo shot off Horrell to bring the Pack within one run.
An interesting decision in the seventh inning by head coach Elliott Avent changed the course of the game as he put in three pinch hitters after a leadoff single by junior designated hitter Brad Debo.
Instead of sophomore Devonte Brown, sophomore J.T Jarrett and redshirt junior Dillon Cooper coming to the plate, Avent sent up sophomore Terrell Tatum, junior Lawson McArthur and freshman Luca Tresh.
Up to that point, Jarrett was the only of the three starters with a hit, but the starters were facing Horrell for the third time. As we saw with the mistake pitch to Butler to lead off the eighth, Horrell was over 100 pitches and was surely getting tired, and the pinch hitters were obviously coming cold off the bench.
It’s easy to say now, and probably wouldn’t have made a difference, but leaving the starters in might be a better option in that scenario. All three pinch hitters struck out and Debo never moved from first base. Tresh has had a decent freshman year in limited opportunities but Tatum’s 35% strikeout rate and McArthur’s .183 average doesn’t look like a recipe for success.
Despite the game being close, it always seemed like Campbell and Horrell were in control. In fact, Horrell only came out of the game because of the first rain delay that lasted over an hour directly after the Butler home run. Otherwise, the Fighting Camels might’ve left him on the mound until he took himself out.
When play resumed, Wilson and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey both struck out to the new Campbell pitcher. Senior first baseman Evan Edwards was hit by a pitch and stole second but freshman center fielder Tyler McDonough grounded out to end the threat.
Redshirt freshman Cameron Cotter and sophomore Evan Justice combined to close the top of the ninth after sophomore Nick Swiney’s spectacular relief outing. Swiney went four innings, struck out seven and didn’t give up a single hit.
Unfortunately, the umpires didn’t allow the bottom of the ninth to begin as more weather came through the area. Both teams tried to wait out the delay as the NCAA hoped to resume the game at some point Friday night. After a number of hours, NC State got on the bus and left, but the game wasn’t officially postponed until late that night.
With just three outs left in a one-run game, the teams would have to finish the game on Saturday at noon. So, the teams returned to the field in the morning, with some players not even able to play since they had already been subbed out, to finish the last three outs.
The Pack did get a baserunner in Tatum with a one-out walk and then he stole second to put himself in scoring position. This was a great call by the coaching staff, or maybe Tatum himself, as Campbell’s pitcher Landry Moore had a slower sidearm delivery and a number of pitches that clocked just above 60 mph.
However, McArthur struck out and freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik grounded out to third to end the game.
It’s a long road back for NC State to make it out of the regional, needing four straight wins, but the team has the depth to do it. If the rest of the weekend is anything like the one the Pack just played, at least be eventful and entertaining.
Redshirt junior infielder Dillon Cooper and junior outfielder Lawson McArthur share a laugh before the game against Campbell on Friday, May 31, 2019 at Clark-LeClair Stadium. Cooper and McArthur went a combined 0-4 with Cooper scoring one run and McArthur striking out twice. The Wolfpack lost 5-4.
