The No. 1 NC State baseball team lost Friday night at Doak Field 4-3 against Virginia in the first game of the three-game series as NC State batters struck out 14 times.
The Wolfpack (25-2, 8-2 ACC) tied a season low in runs scored, as Virginia (16-10, 6-4 ACC) pitchers Griff McGarry and Andrew Abbott kept the NC State batters off-balance all game long. The Pack almost completed a comeback as a two-run home run from freshman Luca Tresh brought the game within one in the ninth inning.
“When Tresh got the home run,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “Mensik was seeing it pretty good tonight. You’ve got [sophomore Jonny Butler] and [junior Will Wilson] with [sophomore Patrick Bailey] on deck, I thought we had a chance for another Doak finish here… It wasn’t to be.”
Tresh provided the spark in the ninth inning, coming on to pinch-hit with his home run to right-center field. The Doak Field magic was not to be tonight as the next three batters were retired in order.
Wolfpack starting pitcher junior Jason Parker was able to work out of a jam in the first inning, as he got Cameron Simmons to pop out to second base, and sophomore second baseman David Vasquez threw it back to first base before the runner on first could tag up for the 4-3 double play.
The Cavaliers opened the scoring in the second inning, as Alex Tappen smacked an RBI single up the middle just out of reach of the Wilson to give Virginia a 1-0 lead.
A leadoff walk, a double to left field and a hit by pitch gave Virginia loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning. Parker got Simmons to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, but another run came in for the Cavaliers. The next batter, Zack Gelof, smashed a single in between shortstop and third base to give them a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Cavaliers added to their lead as Bate Eikhoff hit an RBI double to deep right-center field to make it 4-0. This would be the end of the line for Parker who pitched a total of 4.1 innings while allowing eight hits on four earned runs, striking out three, and walking four.
“I don’t think [Parker] had good stuff tonight,” Avent said. “He just didn’t seem to have a good fastball and couldn’t command a slider. Later on, he got the slider where he could get it over and I think it gave [Virginia] some problems but he battled for us like he always does.”
The Wolfpack got on the board in the fifth when Wilson lined a single to right field to score freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik. This would be all for Virginia starting pitcher Griff McGarry who worked 4.2 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out eight and walking five.
“[McGarry] and Abbott both, they’ve got electric fastballs,” Avent said. “We’ve seen a lot of good pitchers this year, their fastballs were really, really good. McGarry’s big thing is you’ve got to get him in trouble with walks, and he did walk some people tonight, but he was commanding three pitches to a lot of good hitters.”
Virginia had a baserunner on first in the sixth inning and on a 2-2 pitch junior Andrew Blake struck out the batter before Bailey threw out the Virginia baserunner attempting to steal second base to end the inning.
To start off the eighth inning, Bailey doubled off the left-field wall and did his part to try and start a late-inning rally. Abbott proceeded to record a pop out, a ground out, and a strikeout to end any thought of late-inning magic for the Wolfpack.
Blake, who came in to pitch during the fourth inning, would finish out the game for NC State. He worked 4.2 innings of shutout baseball, while allowing four hits, striking out six and walking none.
“I was always a starter, in past years, so being able to go a couple of extra innings isn’t anything too demanding,” Blake said. “I really enjoy that role of being able to come in and try to do as best as I can.”
Just like the eighth, the Wolfpack started off the ninth inning with a leadoff double, this time by Vazquez. Avent called on Tresh to pinch hit and he then crushed a two-run home run to right-center field to pull the Wolfpack within one run.
“He kept throwing me fastballs,” Tresh said. “I thought one was coming and I guessed right, and I got it up there and it was gone the next thing you know.”
Virginia pitcher Kyle Whitten would settle in and retire the next three NC State batters in order to end the game. Abbott took the win for the Cavaliers, while Parker took the loss for the Wolfpack, his first of the season.
NC State and Virginia will meet up again Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. for game two. Sophomore Reid Johnston will take the mound tomorrow, as the Wolfpack look to avenge the game-one loss and even back up the series.
