South Raleigh News

OMAHA, Neb. – The tenth-seeded NC State baseball team lost a 10-inning game to No. 2 national seed Kentucky, 5-4, in its opening round matchup of the College World Series on Saturday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field.

Kentucky (46-14) hit solo home runs in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings to erase a late one-run deficit in its first College World Series game in program history. Ryan Nicholson tied the score on the second pitch of the bottom of the ninth, hitting a solo shot down the left-field line to even it at 4-4. Mitchell Daly then delivered the walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the 10th for the 5-4 win.

NC State (38-22) took its first lead in the top of the ninth. First baseman Garrett Pennington opened the inning with a four-pitch walk and then advanced to third on Jacob Cozart's single to right field. Kentucky then made a pitching change to bring in Johnny Hummel with runners at the corners and one out. Hummel spiked his first pitch, allowing Pennington to race home from third base for the go-ahead run.

Nicholson and Daly's homers flipped NC State's one-run advantage into a one-run defeat, handing them their first loss in a College World Series opener in four appearances. With this loss, NC State will face either Texas A&M or Florida on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET.

Kentucky struck first when designated hitter Nick Lopez lined a first-pitch offering into center field for a 1-0 lead. Emilien Pitre opened the bottom of the first with a one-out double before advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Lopez then drove in Pitre for the first run before Wolfpack starter Sam Highfill stranded two Wildcats with his third strikeout of that frame.

After both teams went scoreless in the second, Cozart knotted it at 1-1 in the third with an RBI single through the right side. Pennington opened that inning with a leadoff single to left field and advanced to second base on Alec Makarewicz's groundout before Cozart tied it up after fouling off three straight pitches with two strikes.

Highfill posted back-to-back scoreless frames in both second and third innings despite allowing leadoff walks each time but responded by retiring three straight batters afterward.

Kentucky jumped ahead with Nolan McCarthy’s two-run homer into their bullpen giving them a 3-1 advantage.

Pennington and Makarewicz opened NC State’s fifth inning with back-to-back singles putting tying runs on base while Makarewicz’s single set an NC State record surpassing Tony Ellison’s previous total bases record when his hit marked his season's 187th total base.

Kentucky starting pitcher Trey Pooser used a double play followed by inducing another groundout ending any further threat from Wolfpack during this inning while Highfill again posted consecutive scoreless innings after McCarthy’s homer facing minimum batters through sixth inning using another double play ending sixth frame sending game into seventh where Makarewicz launched tying two-out blast moving him alone sixth place within school history marking season’s twenty-third home run securing hundredth team home run also being hundredth pitch thrown day by Pooser

In what was his second start during series Highfill turned another gem tossing seven innings allowing just three runs six hits striking out seven issuing only two walks facing minimum final three innings Freshman Jacob Dudan escaped jam eighth keeping game tied

Wolfpack reliever Derrick Smith suffered loss allowing Daly walk-off tenth

Cozart led team multi-hit performances joined Pennington Makarewicz Noah Soles Makarewicz leading pair RBIs moving alone second place school history eighty-two season

NC State next faces loser Texas A&M Florida elimination game Monday televised ESPN