After flying high throughout the year, NC State baseball faltered down the stretch and suffered a 6-3 loss to Stanford to close the regular season. The loss marks NC State’s first home series loss of the season.
“I just think we didn’t play well this week,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “I didn’t think we were sharp at baserunning, defense or hitting to be honest.”
The Wolfpack (33-18, 17-11 ACC) certainly had its chances against the Cardinal (27-24, 11-19 ACC) but never took control of the game. The Pack left 11 batters on base throughout the day, failing to put together any momentum. Whether it was the wind catching the ball before it left the park or simply swinging at the wrong pitches, NC State’s biggest issue today was failing to make plays when given opportunities to score.
The Wolfpack’s best shot to seize momentum came in the bottom of the sixth. NC State loaded up the bases in time for junior left fielder Josh Hogue to step to the plate. Down 6-3, Hogue nearly gave the Wolfpack the lead with what could have been a grand slam. However, with the wind blowing hard to left field, the ball stayed in the park for the third out of the inning. NC State never seemed to recover at the plate and failed to score the rest of the way.
Throughout the game Stanford used eight different pitchers. Throwing the kitchen sink at NC State’s hitters proved to be a successful strategy for the Cardinal. Unable to adjust to any pitcher, Stanford stifled the Pack at the plate while utilizing almost the whole bullpen.
“That was their plan coming into the weekend and it was a good plan,” Avent said. “What usually happens when you pitch that many people is somebody comes in and doesn’t find the strike zone. They found it, give them credit, offensively we just weren’t very good this weekend.”
On the other side, NC State’s pitching came out shaky, but eventually settled in. Sophomore starting pitcher Heath Andrews started on the mound, but was pulled after just 2.2 innings with his control quickly going away. Sophomore pitcher Cooper Consiglio navigated a tough spot with runners on second and third to prevent the Cardinal from scoring.
“Heath wasn’t sharp, but he kept them at bay,” Avent said. “He didn’t have his good slider, he didn’t have his good sinker, but he managed it very well and did some good things.”
Consiglio found himself in another jam in the fifth inning, but unlike the earlier spot Consiglio surrendered four runs. With the bases loaded, Stanford’s Rintaro Sasaki nailed a line drive down the right field line, scoring all three base runners. A later hit eventually scored Sasaki, giving Stanford a commanding 6-3 lead. Neither team scored the rest of the way and the Cardinal emerged with an upset victory in their first series at Doak Field.
With the loss, NC State baseball was officially eliminated from the ACC regular season title race. To clinch, the Wolfpack needed to win today and have Florida State beat North Carolina. While the Seminoles did their part for the Wolfpack, NC State failed to handle its business. Additionally, the path to hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament is much murkier with a series loss to Stanford. At this point, it’s likely that the red-and-white will be a two seed in the NCAA Tournament and have to win on the road.
NC State will head to Durham for the ACC Tournament this week, playing on Thursday or Friday. The Wolfpack’s opponent and time is yet to be determined.
