NC State baseball season ends with 11-1 loss to Campbell
The NC State baseball saw hopes rise with a regional-opening win over Campbell Friday afternoon in Columbia, S.C. The Wolfpack saw its season end with a loss to the same Fighting Camels.
Sparked by a leadoff homer from second baseman Jarrod Belbin, Campbell crushed NC State, 11-1, in an elimination game Sunday afternoon. The Wolfpack’s season ended with a 36-21 record, while Campbell will hope to beat top seed and host South Carolina Sunday evening to force a decisive regional final Monday.
Luck was not on the Pack’s Saturday, and NC State compounded its own misfortune with a familiar pattern that plagued head coach Ellott Avent’s squad in a 6-3 loss to South Carolina Saturday evening: walks and double plays.
NC State starter and redshirt junior righty Sam Highfill went only 2.1 innings, giving up seven hits and seven runs, five of them earned. His two-out walk in the first set up left fielder Drew Winters’ two-run blast to give Campbell a quick 3-0 lead.
All six of South Carolina’s runs Saturday were fueled by two-out walks from NC State’s pitching staff.
The Pack had nine walks against Gamecocks and added seven more, plus a hit batter, vs. Campbell. Four of those Fighting Camels runners Sunday. So too did a runner who reached on a fielding error by NC State junior third baseman LuJames “Gino” Groover.
The high-powered Campbell attack did not need any help. The nation’s leader in runs scored per game had 16 hits against NC State Sunday, including three home runs surrendered by Highfill.
Meanwhile, after hitting into three costly double plays vs. South Carolina, the Pack had four inning-ending double plays against Campbell, including to finish off the loss in the ninth inning.
With Campbell leading 5-0, NC State loaded the bases in the second inning, but sophomore second baseman Payton Green bounced into a double play to end the threat.
Sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart hit into a DP with two-on and one-out in the third after Campbell had built a 7-0 advantage.
Freshman designated hitter Cannon Peebles hit into a double play to end the fifth, when the score remained 7-0.
NC State had 11 hits and drew six walks, yet only scored a single run and left 12 runners on base.
Campbell also scored three runs off checked swings at the plate, including a two-run single in the eighth for the game’s final runs.
Further exemplifying the type of afternoon NC State baseball endured, a potential error by Campbell first baseman Dalen Thompson bounced off the heel of his glove right to a charging pitcher Chance Daquila, who was rushing to first anyway to cover the bag.
Ultimately Campbell proved too good for an already snake-bitten Wolfpack team.
