No. 10 NC State baseball was like a ship with no captain in the meltdown loss against the No.11 Florida State Seminoles, losing 11-5 in Game 2 of their series.
The Wolfpack (18-5, 3-2 ACC) was no match for the hot bats from FSU (18-4, 4-1 ACC), as balls were flying out of Dick Howser Stadium all day for the Noles. Head coach Elliott Avent got into it with the umpire in the middle of the sixth, and was sent home for the altercation. The Pack fell apart after Avent’s exit, and ran out of time to mount a comeback.
Seeking to clinch the series against a ranked opponent, the Pack looked good out of the gate, keeping the game within reach through the first three frames. It had held the Seminoles to only four runs, allowing for the offense to take the lead in the top of the fourth.
The fourth frame was where the Wolfpack really started to figure out Florida State pitcher Trey Beard. With one out, he walked three consecutive batters to load the bases with junior third baseman Sherman Johnson up to bat. Johnson sent a liner to short and reached on a fielding error, keeping the Wolfpack’s run alive.
Junior second baseman Luke Nixon wouldn’t let the rally die, as he hit a single to center field and picked up a pair of RBIs to give the Wolfpack the lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
The sixth frame unfolded all the drama for the Wolfpack, as its inning was ended by an impressive throw-out from the Seminole’ catcher who froze Nixon trying to steal second. The play was a double-play, as senior right fielder Brayden Fraasman had just struck out swinging. Avent tried to argue that Nixon was safe at second, but the conversation ended with him walking out of Dick Howser.
After the ejection, the Seminole lead had ballooned to seven, as the Wolfpack fell apart in the bottom of the sixth. Junior right-hander Jacob Dudan had loaded the bases with zero outs, forcing a pitching change, and was replaced by sophomore right-hander Collins Black. Black gave up a grand slam on the next batter, and the Pack allowed for six runs on six hits for the Noles.
Sophomore center fielder Ty Head hit the only homerun for the Wolfpack too late, as his solo moonshot came in the top of the eighth. Head now has eight homers on the year, and is continuing to be a problem at the plate for opposing pitchers. Him and Nixon were the core of the offense today, as they combined for six of the nine total hits for the Pack.
Putting “bat-to-ball” was especially hard with runners in scoring position for the Pack. The red-and-white left 13 men stranded on base compared to FSU’s nine, a big reason for the loss.
The pitching for the Pack wasn’t as much of a letdown as the batting had been, but it still had its struggles. It gave up 14 hits, and allowed for Seminole star Myles Bailey to have two home runs. Dudan picked up his second loss of the season and allowed for eight runs at the end of the day, his season high; an irregular performance from the star pitcher.
The Wolfpack will have a chance to clinch the series against the Seminoles tomorrow, Sunday, March 22. First pitch is set to be thrown at 1 p.m.