Wolfpack Clinches Series Against Ninth-Ranked Seminoles

After an abysmal beginning to the 2021 season, No. 23 NC State (28-14, 19-13 ACC) locked up the No. 3 seed in the upcoming ACC Baseball Championship Tournament with the series-clinching victory over No. 9 Florida State.

Following three straight series losses to start the year, the Wolfpack clawed back to win six of its total 11 series in conference play. That success culminated with the Friday-night victory at Doak Field to secure the series over the Seminoles, 6-4.

Tyler McDonough and Austin Murr provided NC State’s primary offense, scoring all six runs in the contest. McDonough reached base in each of his plate appearances with a 2-for-2 batting line, one home run, two runs batted in, and four runs scored. Murr, meanwhile, went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs.

Sam Highfill (5-2, 4.50 ERA) earned the win after striking out eight batters and hurling 99 pitches in six innings of work. The Seminoles scored all three runs, two earned, on eight hits and one walk against the Apex native.

Florida State’s Tyler Martin led off the game with a single before stealing second, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scoring on a wild pitch from Highfill. Seminole catcher then reached on a Wolfpack error before eventually scoring on an RBI single by Elijah Cabell. McDonough would tie the game in the bottom half of the first inning with a two-run homer immediately after Murr led off with a single.

Nelson helped the Seminoles retake the lead with an RBI single in the top of the third inning, scoring Logan Lacey who reached on a one-out double. In the bottom half of the frame, McDonough scored the tying run after getting beaned, moving to third on a Jonny Butler single, and stealing home on a planned Butler rundown between first and second during which Butler successfully reached second base.

The Pack took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning. Murr, McDonough, and Butler loaded the bases on consecutive singles. A wild pitch by Wyatt Crowell (1-3, 3.86 ERA) allowed Murr to score the go-ahead run. Terrell Tatum padded the lead with an infield single that plated McDonough.

Highfill pitched a clean sixth inning after the NC State offense gave him the lead, including an impressive diving catch by McDonough in center field, but head coach Elliott Avent pulled his starter after Highfill beaned the leadoff hitter in the seventh. Dalton Feeney entered the game and induced a double play and a groundout to escape the jam. One inning later, Feeney would get pulled after issuing a full-count walk to the leadoff batter.

Evan Justice, like his predecessor, forced a ground-ball double play to erase the base runner. Despite giving up a two-out single in the eighth and a leadoff homer to Jackson Greene in the ninth, Justice held on to secure his seventh save of the season.

The Wolfpack wraps up the series and, in turn, the regular season Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Doak Field is set for 1 p.m.