On Military Appreciation Day, Clemson came out with the bats rolling early, but were unable to get the job done in their 5-2 loss to No. 22 NC State, forcing a rubber match on Sunday. The Tigers came out quick in the first, tacking on a run and later tying the game 2-2 in the second, but outfielder Noah Soles ended up being the real difference maker for the Wolfpack, accounting for four of NC State’s five total RBIs in Saturday’s matchup.
Canaan Silver earns the win on the mound for NC State along with Chris Villaman earning the save. Clemson righthander Nick Hoffmann [3-3] tallies the loss.
Clemson was the first to strike in Saturday evening’s matchup. Following Cooper Ingle’s single to left field, Max Wagner sent an RBI double sailing down the right field line to put the Tigers up 1-0.
NC State quickly came up with their answer in the second, scoring their first two runs of the day with Noah Soles’ RBI single to first base along with Dominic Pilolli’s run scored on a Clemson throwing error.
The Tigers didn’t trail for long though, tacking on another run to tie it 2-2 in the second thanks to a solo shot to left field by Blake Wright, good for his fourth home run of the year. Wright led the Tigers at the plate on Saturday, going 2-for-4 on the day with a home run and an RBI.
Into the fourth, the Wolfpack brought in another run to give them the 3-2 lead following back-to-back doubles by Payton Green and Soles.
NC State struck yet again in the sixth with another two RBIs scored by a Soles single, extending the Wolfpack’s lead to 5-2 and ultimately sealing the win for NC State in game two.
Following today’s loss, the Tigers move to their third and final game of the series versus the Wolfpack on Sunday, April 3, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ACCNX.