The No. 21 NC State baseball team lost an 8-2 game on the road at Virginia Tech on Saturday, April 9.
It was a strange Saturday in Blacksburg as a winter storm caused some weird weather conditions throughout the afternoon including a delay between the third and fourth innings.
While it seemed to be a pitcher’s duel through the first part of the game, Virginia Tech (20-7, 7-5 ACC) jumped ahead by four runs in the fifth, and the Pack (18-11, 6-7 ACC) was never able to recover.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Willadsen started on the mound for NC State and pitched 6.1 innings, striking out six and giving up six earned runs. He was relieved by junior right-hander Baker Nelson, who grabbed two strikeouts and let up two earned runs in the final 1.2 innings.
Senior outfielder Devonte Brown and sophomore infielder LuJames Groover III started the game with back-to-back singles, but a strikeout and a double play halted any of the momentum the Wolfpack had been building.
Virginia Tech eventually opened the scoring in the third inning as the snow started to pick up for the first time throughout the afternoon, loading the bases on two singles and a walk, and Carson DeMartini stole home to bring in the first run. .
Sophomore outfielder Noah Soles grabbed his 12th hit in his last five games in the top of the fifth, but it would be the Hokies who would come out of the inning with additional runs as they capitalized on a two-RBI homer and an RBI triple, expanding their lead to 4-0.
NC State finally got its first run across the board in the sixth as Brown was hit by a pitch and sophomore outfielder Dominic Pilolli tripled to bring him home.
The Pack added another run on a solo homer from senior infielder J.T. Jarrett in the seventh, but Virginia Tech responded in the bottom of the inning, taking its four-run lead back on Tanner Schobel’s second home run of the day.
The snow started to pick up again in the bottom of the eight, but there would be no further delays. The Hokies added two more runs on a wild pitch and a groundout which would conclude the scoring for the evening.
The Pack will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday, April 10 up in Blacksburg with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
