Picture H/T to @TracyMWall.
@NCStateBaseball Second straight ACC series where we outscore a ranked team but lose the series. We're right there.
— Jeremy Donovan (@jerdonovan) April 12, 2015
In a series that eerily resembled last week’s series against Florida State, the Wolfpack lost two hard fought low scoring games before getting some timely hits today in the series finale to beat UNC 6-3.
On Friday, Cory Wilder pitched 5 2/3 innings and pulled multiple Houdini acts to get himself out of jams generated by 6 walks. He countered those walks with 7 strikeouts, and seemed to get better the more innings he pitched. After tying up the score at 1 in the top of the 6th, the bullpen gave up a solo homer to Skye Bolt (have you ever heard a more perfect UNC name than that) and the Heels held on for a 2-1 win, despite only getting 3 hits. A couple of times the Pack was positioned to have a good inning but was unable to come up with a sacrifice bunt. That inability came back to bite them in the game.
On Saturday, the Pack never had a runner lead off either 2nd or 3rd base. Their only runs came off of solo home runs by Logan Ratledge and Shane Shepard. With the score knotted up at 2-2, free baseball was played at Boshamer Field. In the top of the 10th, Joe Dunand was hit by a pitch. The umpire said he leaned into the pitch and thus was not awarded first base (Avent, the team, and the good showing of State baseball fans did not agree). Who knows what could have happened next, but we will never know and the Pack didn’t score in their half. In the bottom of the 10th, Tommy DeJuneas, who got the Wolfpack out of a big jam the previous inning, had trouble throwing strikes in the extra frame. Three walks followed by a hit batter gave the Heels the offense needed for a 3-2 series clinching win.
Today, the Pack played pretty well. They got some solid pitching from Ryan Williamson and Joe O’Donnell. They got some timely hitting from Joe Dunand and Joel McKeithan. Preston Palmeiro had a 2 run single in the 5th inning which gave the Pack a 4-2 lead that it would not relinquish. And just when it looked like Carolina was going to make a game of it in the bottom of the 9th, Will Gilbert came into pitch with a couple of runners on and two out. It took him all of two pitches to induce a fly ball to left field which gave the Pack a 6-3 win.
The Pack now stands at 20-14 overall and 8-9 in the ACC.
They next play on Wednesday at Doak Field against Charlotte.
This team still has time to get into the field of 64. They need to make a run. They play at Notre Dame next week before hosting NCAA runner-up Virginia the following weekend. If you get a chance, come out to the Doak and watch them play. It is a good time and the Pack9 is currently 14-3 at the friendly confines this year.
