NC State baseball suffered a crushing 11-7 loss to the Campbell Camels in 12 innings at Doak Field.
Once down 7-2 as the game headed to the bottom of the eighth, NC State (20-14) dug deep and put together a four-run eighth frame to pull within one. It responded in the ninth with a solo home run to tie the game and force extra innings. In what turned out to be three extra innings of play, the Pack didn’t muster much offense but pitching remained steady. However, the 12th inning saw Campbell (24-11) break through and score four runs to seal the game.
Campbell came out of the block fast in the third inning as third baseman Charlie Meglio sent a solo shot over the wall to give the Camels a 1-0 lead. With two more runners on base, the Camels looked to extend their lead. However, the Pack prevented any further damage which included a valiant effort from sophomore center fielder Eli Serrano III who fired a stinger to home, tagging out a runner.
In the fourth, Campbell used a base hit and a hit-by-pitch to continue the offensive momentum. Meglio singled to bring home one of these runs in what would turn into a solid effort. Despite loading the bases, a pitching change to freshman right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan helped bring an end to the inning.
The Pack responded in the bottom of the fourth as graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz drilled a double. He received help from the Camels as a pair of wild pitches led him home to put the deficit at 2-1.
In the top of the 6th, Camels left fielder Dalen Thompson got on base again where he proceeded to steal second, his third steal of the night. With a runner in scoring position, first baseman Reed Stallman connected on a two-run homer over the right field wall. This pushed the Camels to a 4-1 lead.
With the Camels stringing together runs, the Pack looked for answers in the bottom of the seventh. After two quick outs, Makarewicz drilled a solo homer that bounced off the scoreboard to cut the deficit to 4-2.
In the top of the 8th, the Wolfpack allowed two base hits. This opened the door for a massive three-run bomb by center fielder Max Weller, pushing Campbell’s lead to 7-2 by the middle of the 8th.
With its back against the wall, NC State felt the heat as it entered the bottom of the inning. It wasted little time earning two walks and a hit to load the bases. Freshman second baseman Luke Nixon proceeded to hit a sacrifice flyout to bring home one run. This started a long chain of events as Pennington stepped forward and smoked a single to score the two remaining baserunners.
With the score now 7-5, NC State kept the heat on as it proceeded to load the bases once more. Junior catcher Jacob Cozart reached base on a fielding error which brought home yet another run for the Pack as it drew closer to the Camels 7-6.
In do-or-die mode, Serrano stepped to the plate, calm and collected, and in the bottom of the ninth, hit an opposite-field home run to tie the game at 7-7. The Wolfpack then loaded the bases with a double and two intentional walks, but Makerewicz struck out to leave the runners stranded.
Unlike the relatively quiet 10th inning, the Pack got a scare from Campbell in the 11th. The Camels unloaded on what appeared to be a homer however, sophomore right fielder Josh Hogue leaped at the warning track and pulled the ball back into the park. Despite two other runners reaching base, the Pack escaped the inning unscathed.
As the game was nearing five hours of play, Campbell began to make noise. In the top of the 12th, it collected a walk and hit-by-pitch before spurring a Wolfpack pitching change. The Camels capitalized as second baseman Braeden O’Shaughnessy powered a triple into the right-field corner.
Scoring two runs, they were far from finished. After NC State’s eighth pitching change of the evening, Campbell collected a ground out and brought home another run. It continued to attack the Wolfpack’s pitching and load the bases. A hit batter brought yet another run to put the game at 11-7 in favor of the Camels.
In the bottom of the 12th, NC State didn’t find a way to respond at the plate. It suffered its third straight scoreless inning after clawing back into the game to force extra innings. A difference maker in this game revolved around situational hitting as the Wolfpack left 19 runners on base. This prevented the team from finding sustained momentum throughout the evening.
Following a 12-inning game, NC State doesn’t get much time to prepare for one of the top teams in the country.
“Don’t like the quick turnarounds,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “If you’re trying to get good RPIs and get wins for your league then you don’t play Thursday, Friday, Saturday because you don’t have your pitching for Tuesday.”
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Thursday, April 18 as it takes on rival UNC-Chapel Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
