No. 13 NC State Sweeps Opening Day Doubleheader
RALEIGH, N.C. – The 13th-ranked NC State baseball team opened the 2018 season with a doubleheader sweep against the Seton Hall Pirates Friday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Wolfpack won the first game of the day, 8-4, before taking the nightcap by a final score of 3-1.
NC State's veteran starting pitchers, Brian Brown (Game One) and Johnny Piedmonte (Game Two), combined to allow just three hits in 13 innings pitched. The duo collected 12 strikeouts and yielded just three walks.
The Wolfpack's offense also shined in a major way with 21 hits on the day, including three home runs. The Pack improves to 2-0 on the year, while the Pirates fall to 0-2.
Avent's Additions...
"We had four really good practices prior to playing today and then you have to get the weather to cooperate. I thought our administration did a nice job of making a quick and good decision to move the games to today.
"I thought we did a good job of adapting to the situation and I thought our guys played well."
Game One Recap
Brown turned in a stellar outing in the first start of his senior season, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning before having it end on a single to right field. The Glenmoore, Pa., native retired 15 of the first 16 batters he faced. He finished the game with six innings pitched, one hit, one earned run and five strikeouts.
Senior Brock Deatherage ignited the Wolfpack offense with a solo homer to right field in his first at-bat of 2018 to give NC State a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. After Seton Hall knotted the score at one in the top of the sixth, the Wolfpack answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame.
Josh McLain had an RBI single in the frame and Brad Debo drove in a pair of runs on a single through the right side. Shane Shepard had the big blast in the inning with a two-run homer over the left field wall.
In the seventh inning, Deatherage helped the Pack extend the advantage to 8-1 with a two-RBI single to right field.
The Pirates added three runs in the eighth, but couldn't get any closer as freshman Reid Johnston closed out the game to give NC State the 8-4 win.
Inside the Box Score
- Deatherage led the Wolfpack at the plate with a 2-for-3 outing, complemented by a solo home run and three RBI.
- Shepard was also 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, while Stephen Pitarra turned in a 2-for-3 performance as well.
- The Wolfpack was 7-of-18 with runners on base and 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Game Two Recap
Seton Hall struck first in game two of the doubleheader with a run in the top of the first. From there, Piedmonte was dominant retiring the next 13 batters and did not allow another baserunner until the sixth inning.
NC State knotted the game at one in the bottom of the third when freshman Terrell Tatum raced around to score from second base following a throwing error by Seton Hall. The second run for the Pack came on an infield fly call with the bases loaded, as Will Wilson scored from third base after the ball fell to the ground out of reach of the Pirates shortstop.
Deatherage left the yard for the second time on the day in the bottom of the fourth, when he crushed a 2-2 pitch over the scoreboard in right field to push the Wolfpack lead to 3-1. NCSU threatened again in the seventh by putting runners at second and third with two outs, but was not able to score out of it.
Piedmonte gave way to Nolan Clenney, who made his NC State debut in the contest after transferring into the program, in the eighth. Piedmonte struck out seven batters in seven innings pitched with only two hits allowed. Clenney threw an inning and a third before hading the ball to Kent Klyman with one out in the ninth.
Klyman struck out the only batter he faced, and Joe O'Donnell entered the game to nail down the save by getting a popup to Shepard in foul territory to end it.
Inside the Box Score
- NC State pitchers limited Seton Hall to just three hits in the game and 1-for-7 with runners on base.
- Deatherage was 2-for-4 with a solo home run, while Tatum was also 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Game Notes
- McLain tallied a hit in each game to extend his hitting streak to 10 games dating back to last season.
- Wilson reached base safely in both games and has reached safely in each of the past 18 games he has played.
- Friday's matchups were the first with Seton Hall, as NC State leads the all-time series, 2-0.
- The Wolfpack won its season opener for the second consecutive season.
Up Next
NC State and Seton Hall will return to the field for the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.