Heels' Ninth-Inning Rally Sinks Wolfpack in Doak Field Downpour

NC State (29-14, 11-10 ACC) opened its three-game series with North Carolina (26-17, 9-13 ACC) Friday evening, but after resuming play in the top of the fifth inning, the Wolfpack fell as rain came down at Doak Field.

With runners on the corners and one away in the top of the ninth, Mac Horvath drove home Reece Holbrook with a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run. Gage Gillian (2-3, 4.86 ERA) retired the Pack in order in the next half-inning to seal the final score, 8-7.

Logan Whitaker started the game on Friday for NC State and exited as the game was suspended due to poor weather conditions. He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts. After 2/3 inning of work from Baker Nelson, Justin Lawson (4-2, 3.42 ERA) hurled three innings of relief before exiting the game with a runner on first in the ninth. Chris Villaman yielded two hits in his lone inning of work, issuing the go-ahead sac fly that saddled Lawson with the loss.

The Tar Heels struck first with an RBI fielder’s choice by Alberto Osuna in the top of the first inning. Tommy White tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI double that drove Payton Green home.

After play resumed Saturday afternoon, Carolina broke the tie in the top of the fifth inning on a ball hit by Tomas Frick with Nelson committing an error which allowed Horvath to score. However, the Pack struck back with a pair of runs in the home half as LuJames Groover, III plated Jacob Cozart and Devonte Brown with a single up the middle. 

North Carolina broke the game open with five runs in the top of the sixth inning. Vance Honeycutt led off with a game-tying home run before Hunter Stokely launched a three-run homer to give the Heels the lead. Two batters later, Frick drove Johnny Castagnozzi home with a double to bring UNC’s lead to four. State clawed back with three runs in the home half of the sixth as Noah Soles scored on a wild pitch, Eddie Eisert scored on an error committed by Honeycutt on a single by Brown, and Brown scored on a Castagnozzi error.

With J.T. Jarrett reaching on a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning, Soles doubled off the wall in left field to drive Jarrett home for the tying run. However, Gillian faced the minimum six batters between the eighth and ninth inning, only allowing a single neutralized by a double play, to secure North Carolina’s series-opening victory.