NC State runs out of gas, falls to No. 4 Auburn in NCAA regional final
Despite struggling to record more than one out in NC State’s NCAA Tournament opener against Stetson on Friday night, Wolfpack skipper Elliott Avent turned to junior lefty Dominic Fritton with the team’s season on the line.
Although it might not have been what some expected, the 29th-year coach seemed determined to ride his ace in a must-win regional final, looking to force a winner-take-all on Monday. Instead, however, the Wolfpack ran out of gas in an 11-1 loss to No. 4 Auburn on Sunday night at Plainsman Park.
The Pack, which beat Stetson 17-12 in comeback fashion earlier in the day, couldn’t find the same offensive gear against the Tigers, while its SEC competition had more than enough firepower to take advantage of the team’s miscues.
And those mounted in the fourth.
Fritton, a third team All-ACC selection, was able to labor through his first three frames of work. But when a line drive hit his right leg in the third, he appeared to be affected by it. When the following inning rolled around, Fritton’s command struggled.
The Fuquay-Varina, N.C., native gave up a leadoff single before he walked the next two batters to load the bases. That led to Avent turning to sophomore left-hander Cooper Consiglio from the bullpen, but Auburn jumped all over him with a seven-run frame — a trio of run-scoring singles and an Ike Irish three-run homer — to take a commanding lead.
While Fritton was chased from the game, partly due to his inconsistency on the rubber after being struck, it was likely his final outing in a Wolfpack uniform. The draft-eligible starter had dozens of MLB scouts flocking to his starts all season, signaling a possible phone call in July’s draft.
If it was his final appearance in an NC State uniform, Fritton made his final campaign in Raleigh a memorable one. He finished his season with 107 strikeouts in 86 ⅔ innings of work to become the first Wolfpack arm to eclipse the century mark in the statistic since Carlos Rodon fanned 117 in 2014.
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Fritton’s likely final start in an NC State uniform ended with a line of three runs allowed on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings. His two starts of the Auburn Regional combined to have nine runs allowed (six earned) on eight hits with five walks and five strikeouts in 3 ⅓ innings of work.
At the plate, meanwhile, the Wolfpack couldn’t hit the same stride it had against the Hatters just hours earlier. NC State, which had 19 hits in that contest, posted just _ against Auburn as the Tigers and their fresh arms were able to minimize the Pack’s impact at the dish for most of the night.
Left fielder Josh Hogue led the Wolfpack’s bats with a 2-for-4 night with a run scored, while senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio logged the team’s lone RBI.
NC State, which struggled in the early stages of the season, went from 234th in the RPI rankings three weeks into the season to an NCAA regional final. Despite its surge through the national landscape, the Wolfpack will not have an opportunity to play for its third trip to the College World Series in a five-year span in next week’s super regionals.
Instead, the Wolfpack is headed back to Raleigh to unload its bags for the offseason.
