NC State takes advantage of three Clemson errors to take opener

Clemson dropped game one of the series to NC State (Merrell Mann photo).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Apr 12 21:44:03 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON – Clemson baseball is facing its first real adversity of the season.

NC State scored four runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings and held on to defeat No. 2 Clemson 11-8 Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. NC State improves to 19-12 overall and 9-7 in the ACC, while Clemson falls to 28-5 overall and 10-3 in ACC play.

The Tigers now have a two-game losing streak—their first of the season—which comes after the team blew an 11-1 lead in what was an eventual win at Notre Dame last weekend.

NC State started the scoring with a solo homer by Josh Hogue in the first, but the Tigers answered quickly in the bottom of the second. Cam Cannarella led off with a single and Will Taylor lined the third pitch he saw over the wall in left for his seventh homer and a 2-1 lead.

The Pack chased Clemson starter Matthew Marchal in the fourth inning. Four hits, a walk, and a wild pitch allowed NC State to take a 5-2 lead, but Rocco Reid replaced Marchal and stopped the damage by getting the final out.

Marchal went 3 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (all earned) with four strikeouts and one walk.

Clemson scored four times in the bottom of the frame. Alden Mathes walked to start the frame and Jimmy Obertop blasted a massive two-run homer to left to make it 5-4. The homer was his ninth of the season. A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases, and with two out, Taylor laced a two-run single to left-center. Jarren Purify, who had been on first, received a late stop sign from the third-base coach and was thrown out trying to get back to third, but the Tigers held a 6-5 lead.

That lead didn’t last. NC State loaded the bases with two out, and Lucas Mahlstedt induced what should have been an inning-ending grounder to third. However, Blake Wright threw the ball away to allow two runs to score, and the single that followed scored two more as the Pack were back in front 9-6.

Wright atoned for the error to lead off the bottom of the frame, homering (his 14th) on the first pitch he saw to make it 9-7. The Tigers added another run on a walk, a hit batter, a failed pickoff, and an RBI groundout by Nolan Nawrocki. Through five, the Pack led 9-8.

NC State added single runs in the eighth and the ninth to account for the final score.

The Tigers had a chance to tie the score late – Wright and Mathes each walked to lead off the ninth, but a flyout, a strikeout, and a groundout ended the threat. In all, Clemson left seven runners on base and struck out ten times.

Game two of the series is set for 8 pm Saturday on the ACC Network.