Takeaways: Highfill's gem, Tatum's homer push NC State past Vanderbilt
This NC State baseball team has proven it’s capable of handling pretty much anyone and anything thrown at it. That apparently includes Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt’s star pitcher who will likely be the top pitcher off the board in this year’s MLB Draft.
In a 1-0 win for the Wolfpack over the Commodores Monday night, NC State freshman starter Sam Highfill outdueled Leiter, and Terrell Tatum homered in the bottom of the fifth to deliver the winning run.
The Pack is now one win away from advancing to the College World Series’ best-of-three final. Here’s a few key takeaways from Monday’s victory:
Highfill out-duels Leiter in stellar outing
With Leiter on the other side, NC State needed Highfill to be lights out. He more than delivered. A big reason the Wolfpack was eventually able to get to Leiter was Highfill matching him in the early part of the game - and then outperforming him as it went along.
Highfill was outstanding against the Commodores in 7.1 scoreless innings, allowing just four base runners on two hits and two walks while striking out seven before giving way to Evan Justice in the top of the eighth. Highfill twice retired seven batters in a row as he matched Leiter pitch for pitch, attacking the zone with his fastball command and confusing Vanderbilt’s hitters as he changed arm slots into his changeup.
With Leiter striking out 15 in eight one-run innings, Highfill couldn’t make a mistake, and didn’t.
Highfill has been outstanding in the first postseason action of his career. In four starts since the start of the ACC Tournament, Highfill is 4-0 with 19.1 innings pitched and has allowed just four runs on 13 hits with 21 strikeouts and eight walks. Every time he’s taken the mound, he’s given NC State everything his team could have asked for.
Tatum’s big hit wins the day
Through five innings, Leiter was completely shutting down NC State. The Wolfpack’s bats simply couldn’t get anything going against him. Vanderbilt’s star righty flummoxed the Wolfpack’s lineup in five perfect frames, striking out nine of the first 12 batters he faced with his fastball-curve-slider mix. Leiter was perfect. Then, all of the sudden, he wasn’t.
Leiter’s first mistake of the game was one the Wolfpack took full advantage of. To lead off the bottom of the fifth, Tatum hammered an 0-1 offering to deep right field and out of the park, breaking up Leiter’s perfect game and making it 1-0 NC State.
With Leiter dealing the way he was, the Wolfpack was going to have to be opportunistic. Tatum made no mistake on that particular opportunity.
With Leiter’s dominant eight innings, including a pair of strikeouts to leave NC State with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Tatum’s hit ended up being the difference in this game. It’s the biggest hit of NC State’s season so far, and, given the stage and stakes, quite possibly the current biggest hit in NC State baseball history.
Evan Justice seals the deal
With a runner on second and one out in the top of the eighth, and the Pack nursing a one-run lead, Elliott Avent did as he’s done all year, and turned the game over to Justice to get out of danger. The Wolfpack’s closer obliged, getting both outs via a groundout and strikeout to strand the runner and keep his team ahead.
After issuing a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth, Justice got a 4-6-3 double play from his infield, then struck out the last batter for his 13th save of the season to put NC State a win away.
Justice has been lights out in this postseason. In seven appearances, he’s recorded five saves and a win, thrown 17 innings and allowed just four runs on seven hits while striking out 19 and walking two.
Wolfpack one win away
NC State is now in uncharted territory. The Wolfpack’s third team to reach the College World Series is the first team to win its first two games. NC State will now have three days off and face the winner of Vanderbilt and Stanford Friday. A win in that game, or one more win either Friday or Sunday, would send the Wolfpack to the College World Series best-of-three final.
The 2021 season has been a truly special one for NC State, and this team now has an excellent opportunity in front of it to make it even more so.