Wolfpack Baseball welcomes the Aggies from NC A&T to Doak Field tonight. First pitch scheduled for 6pm. The Pack looks to extend their winning streak to ten games and close out the current homestand at 10-1. State is now 33-12 on the season, 16-8 in conference.
Not to disrespect the Aggies, but they haven’t been particularly strong this year so far. They’re 15-33 on the year (9-12 MEAC) and have dropped 12 of their last 14. On the year they’ve had five losing streaks of 3 or more games, including a streak of 7 straight losses and another of 11. They hit .278 as a team, and their pitching staff carries an ERA of 5.07.
Only two common opponents this year between the Wolfpack and the Aggies. Each team played home and away with Elon and Campbell. A&T went winless while the Pack went 3-1 (lost 8-6 @Campbell).
Starters for tonight:Â NC A&T will throw LHP Ruben Torrella (1-4, 7.23 era) up against RHP Danny Healey (4-0, 3.47 era) for State.
Some Light Reading
Chip Alexander has a nice piece featuring the NC State Baseball’s freshmen (newsobserver.com)
RALEIGH — Trea Turner began N.C. State’s baseball game Friday with a spotless white uniform and ended it with reddish dirt smudges all over.
“That’s usually how I determine if I played good or not – how dirty my uniform is,†Turner said, smiling.
The Wolfpack third baseman has been dirty, and good, a lot this season and leads the nation in stolen bases. And if it isn’t Turner stealing a base and stealing a run, it has been Brett Austin delivering a big hit, or Jake Fincher chasing down a long fly in center field or Logan Ratledge making a key play at second base.
And Carlos Rodon. The big lefthander from Holly Springs quickly established himself as one of the nation’s best college pitchers.
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1st inning
TOP(A&T) – Healey K’s the leadoff hitter Copeland swinging, Riley flies out to Fincher, Tendler K’s on a changeup. Nothing for A&T, Pack coming to bat.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Trea Turner lines out to center to lead off, Chris Diaz grounds out to short, Ryan Mathews singles to left field then Danny Canela walks…then Brett Austin pops out to short. No runs on one hit. Scoreless after one.
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2nd inning
TOP(A&T) – McCoy gets a 2 out stand up double for A&T, advances to third on a passed ball, Chiz walks to make it 1st and 3rd with two down…then Wilkerson grounds out to second (4-3) to end the threat.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Senay K’s to lead off for the Pack, Fincher singles to center, Grant Clyde gets an infield single moving Fincher to 2nd…Ratledge flies out to center and Turner grounds into a fielder’s choice (4-6) to force Grant at 2nd and end the inning. No runs on two hits for the Pack, still scoreless after two.
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3rd inning
TOP(A&T) – A one out single by Copeland and 2 two out infield singles (Tendler and Little) loads the bases for A&T…a clutch single by Freeman scores one, but Taran Senay guns down the would be 2nd run at the plate from left field (7-2 on the putout). Aggies pick up 1 run to take the lead 1-0.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Diaz leads off with a single and advances to 2nd on a throwing error, then to 3rd on a passed ball…both Mathews and Canela then walk to load the bases with no outs…Diaz scores on the sac fly by Austin, Mathews advances to 3rd…Senay doubles in Mathews, Canela advances to 3rd…Fincher scores Canela on a ground out to short (6-3), Senay stays put at 2nd…Clyde lines out to center. 3 runs on 2 hits, Pack takes the lead 3-1 after three.
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4th inning
TOP(A&T) – Dillon Frye (on in relief of Healey to start the 4th) K’s the side.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Trea Turner draws a 1 out walk, then steals 2nd (44th steal of the year) and 3rd (45th), then scores on the throwing error by the catcher (e2)…Chris Diaz then triples then Mathews walks…Danny Canela then grounds into the double play (6-4-3) to end the inning. But not before the Pack picks up one on Trea Turner’s walk and 2 stolen bases. Now 4-1, State.
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5th inning
TOP(A&T) – A leadoff double for A&T goes to waste as Frye sits the next three down in order.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Fincher singles up the middle with two down, then Clyde lines out to left. Pack still leads 4-1 at the end of five.
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6th inning
TOP(A&T) – One out double by Freeman, advances to 3rd on a passed ball…McCoy walks then steals 2nd, then Chiz walks to load the pond with only one down…and that’ll get Frye pulled in favor of Vance Williams…(Frye went 2 1/3 inning, no runs on 2 hits with 4 K’s and 2 BB….the three baserunners are his responsibility)…Vance Williams gets Wilkerson to ground into the double play (4-6-3) to end the Aggie threat.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Clark on in relief for A&T to start…Trea Turner gets a one out single, then an error on the A&T rightfielder on Diaz fly ball puts Diaz at 2nd, Turner at 3rd…Mathews strikes out, then Canela flies out to end the inning. Still 4-1 in favor of the Pack.
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7th inning
TOP(A&T) – Copeland reaches with one out after being hit by the Williams pitch then advances to 2nd on a wild pitch, the Riley single moves Copeland to 3rd and Riley moves to 2nd when Tendler flies out to left…2nd and 3rd with 2 out…Williams gets the K looking on Little to end the inning.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Austin and Senay both go down swinging, then Fincher gets a two out single, is then forced at 2nd on the fielder’s choice on the Clyde ground ball to short (6-4). Still 4-1 Pack at the end of seven.
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8th inning
TOP(A&T) – Ryan Wilkins on to pitch for the Pack, K’s Freeman…McCoy hits a long drive but Senay makes the catch at the wall, then Chiz K’s to end the inning.
BOTTOM(NCSU) – Ratledge leads off with a single then advances to 2nd on a wild pitch…Turner moves him to 3rd on a sac bunt…Chris Diaz walks then advances to 2nd on a wild pitch, making it 2nd and 3rd with one out…Mathews grounds out to short scoring Ratledge and sending Diaz to 3rd, then Canela grounds out to short to end the inning. Pack gets one more to make it 5-1. Wilkerson (8), Radford (9) and Copeland (1) due up for A&T in the 9th.
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9th inning
TOP(A&T) – Chris Overman on to pitch the 9th for State…Wilkerson gets a leadoff single, is then forced at second on a ground ball to the second baseman (4u) with Radford reaching on the fielder’s choice…Copeland K’s looking, then Riley singles moving Radford to 2nd, Radford then advances to 3rd on the Fincher error (e8) giving A&T runners on 1st and 3rd with two down…then Tendler flies out to right to end the game.
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Pack wins 5-1.
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