The No. 23 NC State baseball team clinched its final series of the regular season with a 6-4 win over the No. 16 Florida State Seminoles. Sophomore center fielder Tyler McDonough (2-2, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R) stole the show with a monster homer in the first inning and some impressive athleticism later on.
The Wolfpack (28-14, 19-13 ACC) did not get off to a hot start though, as Florida State (28-21, 19-16 ACC) seemed to catch break after break in the top of the first. First baseman Tyler Martin hit a leadoff single off of freshman right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 6 K) before immediately stealing second base. After advancing on a sacrifice bunt, all it took was a wild pitch by Highfill for Martin to cruise home from third and put the Seminoles on the board.
That was not the end of the Wolfpack’s first-inning troubles, however, as junior second baseman J.T. Jarrett (1-4) then dropped a routine pop-up to give Florida State a runner on second with still only one out. Two batters later, an awkward ball to the left side of the infield ducked under the glove of sophomore third baseman Vojtech Mensik (0-4, 2 K), allowing another Florida State baserunner to scurry home from third, making it a 2-0 lead from the Noles by the time a 6-4-3 double play stopped the bleeding. The Wolfpack maintained its composure, however, and soon evened the score in the bottom half of the first with that two-run bomb from McDonough.
“We were thinking the same things as we thought in the top of the first; it was the same game,” McDonough said. “Early in the game, we let up two runs that we shouldn’t have let up. We had a little bit of trouble, but it was the same thing as every other bottom of the first, so we kept it that way.”
The fielding was a liability for the Wolfpack throughout the game, as it erred thrice in a single evening after committing only 22 errors in the previous 41 games. Highfill was able to shake off that rough first frame though, as he only allowed one more earned run for the next five innings, that one coming via an RBI double by Matheu Nelson in the third to tie the game at three.
“I think it speaks to who Sam Highfill is,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “I thought Sam threw very well today. I thought his stuff was outstanding. Good slider, good fastball, I thought his command was good. He certainly didn’t get any breaks, but it didn’t bother him because that’s his makeup. Sam doesn’t let things bother him and that’s why he’s so successful.”
The Wolfpack aided Highfill by keeping itself in the ballgame despite its early 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first. Junior first baseman Austin Murr (2-5) led off that frame with a single up the middle that prompted McDonough to tee off on 1 3-1 pitch for a two-run moonshot to right.
McDonough continued to showcase his talent later in the game, most notably in the third and sixth innings. In the former scenario, junior left fielder Jonny Butler (4-4, 2 SB) was caught in a rundown between first and second base, but was able to evade the tag to advance to second base. McDonough took this as an opportunity to scurry to home plate, evading the tag to tie the game at three runs apiece. In the latter, a long fly ball into the gap in right center field was improbably caught by McDonough, saving an extra base hit and making the second out as Florida State returned to the top of the lineup.
“I was just trying to do everything I could to help the team win,” McDonough said. “I had a good night, and everything worked out for me.”
Highfill plunked the first batter of the seventh, signaling the end of his night. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Dalton Feeney (1.0 IP, 0 ER) came in to relieve him and induced a 6-4-3 double play to quickly make two outs before another groundout, this time to third, ended the top of the seventh. Feeney and junior left-hander Evan Justice (2.0 IP, ER, 2 K) handled the pitching duties for the rest of the game.
“[Feeney] pitched so well for us out of the bullpen,” Avent said. “You talk about a big time when he comes in the game, and he gets that double play ball on Nelson, who’s one of the top hitters in the country, and he gets that double play ground ball and gets the next out. And he turns it over to Evan, who does Evan things.”
Justice himself entered the game in the eighth after Feeney surrendered a leadoff walk. The southpaw forced a double play of his own for a quick two outs, as the Pack went around the horn this time.
The ninth inning was not as fortunate for Justice, but he was still able to see it through to the end after giving up a leadoff solo homer. Since Justice made quick work of the remaining batters, including two strikeout victims, all that home run did was make it a 6-4 Wolfpack victory as opposed to 6-3.
The Pack will wrap up its regular season on Saturday, May 22 against the Noles. The 1 p.m. series finale will be aired on ACC Network Extra.
