No. 18 NC State overwhelmed Boston College 16-9 by tying season-highs for runs and hits in Saturday’s nightcap to sweep a doubleheader and claim the series win at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack (26-12, 13-8 ACC) came from behind three times on the game, including a five-run response to an 8-7 deficit in the bottom of the sixth to seal the win. Trea Turner had a career-best 5-for-5 day with three runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Turner was caught stealing for only the second time all season, after leaving first early and being caught in a rundown. The freshman drops to 41-for-43 on stolen base attempts this season.
Chris Diaz tied a season-high with four hits and four RBIs in a 4-for-6 performance with three runs and two doubles. Wolfpack hitters amassed 19 total hits, matching a previous high establish in a 16-0 rout of West Virginia on February 25.
Danny Canela and Logan Ratledge each had two RBIs and a double on the ball game. The double marks Canela’s 14th of the season, second on the team to Diaz’s 16. Ryan Mathews went 3-for-6 with a double, two runs, and an RBI.
Reliever Anthony Tzamtzis (4-3) picked up the win in four innings of work, holding the Eagles (15-25, 6-15 ACC) to three hits and two unearned runs while striking out five. Starter Logan Jernigan threw the first five innings, giving up seven runs, four earned, on six hits and three walks while fanning six.
Boston College went through six pitchers, but reliever Geoffrey Murphy ended up with the loss by pitching in the Wolfpack’s five-run sixth. Murphy went three innings, allowing four runs, all earned, on six hits. Starter Tyler Hinchliffe lasted only two innings, surrendering five runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks.
State and Boston College played to a 5-5 tie over a wild pair of innings to open the contest. Back-to-back walks to start the game helped the Eagles take a 2-0 lead in the top first. The Pack bounced back immediately with four runs in the bottom half, taking the lead on a two-out, two-RBI Ratledge double to left center to score Canela and Brett Austin.
The Eagles responded with three in the top of the second to climb ahead 5-4. Matt Pare hit a ground-rule double that bounced into the bullpen in left, scoring two batters later on an RBI single by Marc Perdios. Blake Butera lofted a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homer to give Boston College the lead.
State answered with a run in the bottom second. Matt Bergquist led off with a walk, then moved to second as Turner scooted a perfect bunt single under the pitcher’s glove just right of the mound. With two outs and the runners stuck at first and second, Canela crushed an RBI double that hit the left field wall on the fly. Turner held at third, and both runners were left stranded.
The Wolfpack took a 7-5 lead in the third on Turner’s two-out, two-RBI single. Austin led off the inning with a single to left center off of Murphy, then moved to second on a groundout. Jake Fincher walked before Bergquist bunted the pair into scoring position. With two away, Turner threaded a single into center around the pitcher’s extended glove to score both.
The momentum swung back in Boston College’s favor on a crazy play to score three runs in the sixth. Spenser Payne led off the inning with a groundball up the middle for a single. A wild pitch moved him to second, and a hit batsman put two on, chasing Jernigan from the game for Tzamtzis. Travis Ferrick laid down a sac bunt, but Tzamtsis’s throw to first pulled Andrew Ciencin off of first to load the bases with no outs. A critical strikeout, and a foul pop up that Ciencin snagged on a jump at the wall made it look as though the Pack would escape, but Tom Bourdon laced a single up the middle. On the play, Fincher struggled to pick the ball off the turf, allowing the third runner to score, but his relay throw caught Bourdon in a rundown between second and third for the final out of the inning.
State wasted no time rebounding, scoring five runs in the sixth to take a 12-8 lead. Turner led off with a single to center, moved to second on a balk, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Diaz hit a ground-rule double into the Wolfpack bullpen to score Turner, tying the game. Mathews ripped a grounder under the shortstop’s glove to score Diaz, and stretched it into a double. Canela grounded through the right side to score Mathews from second to make it 10-8. With one out, Ratledge fired a liner to second, and it bounced off the fielder’s leg for a two-base error, plating Canela. Fincher lined a single through the right side to score Ratledge and extend the lead to 12-8.
The Pack padded the lead with two more in the seventh. Turner bounced a lead-off single over the third baseman’s head to start. Diaz sent a chopper down the left field line that stayed fair for a double to bring Turner around to score. Diaz stole third after a walk by Canela, then scored on a balk by reliever Kyle Prohovich.
The Eagles trimmed the lead to 14-9 in the eighth. Pare drew a lead-off walk, followed one out later by a single from Perdios. Butera sent a fielder’s choice to short, but Turner’s foot came off the base at third to load the bases. Tom Bourdon sent a sac fly to center to cut the Wolfpack lead to 14-9. Tzamtzis struck out the next batter to end the inning.
Diaz made it 16-9 on a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle in the bottom eighth to score Ratledge and Turner. Ratledge singled to lead off, and Turner drew a two-out walk. Both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball to set up Diaz.
NC State returns to action on Wednesday, April 25 to host Charlotte in an out-of-conference tilt. Radio coverage will be provided by 88.1 WKNC, fans can follow Twitter updates from @NCStateBaseball, and live stats will be available at GoPack.com.
– News release