North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State's Biggest Come-From-Behind Victories
3/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. - Friday's come-from-behind victory over Lehigh after trailing 9-0 through seven innings ranks among the greatest comebacks in NC State baseball history, but those who have been around long enough to remember coach Elliott Avent's first year in Raleigh can remember several similar comebacks from 1997:
• April 1, 1997. This was the grandaddy of all comeback victories. NC State trailed The Citadel 11-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but thanks to a grand-slam homer by Scott Lawler and back-to-back homers from Jake Weber and Chris Combs, the Pack scored 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth and won going away, 17-13.
• May 22, 1997. In the opening round of the NCAA South II Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Wolfpack fell behind Wichita State 8-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but scored six in the bottom of the seventh and three more in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at 9-9. Jason Smith's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th secured the 10-9 victory and shocked the Shockers.
• February 21, 1997. The Wolfpack trailed New Orleans 5-0 through seven innings in the first round of the Winn-Dixie Showdown at the Superdome in New Orleans. Thanks to Jake Weber's grand slam, NC State scored five runs in the top of the eighth and won 8-5 in extra innings.
• March 11, 1997. George Mason led the Wolfpack 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning at Doak Field, and 8-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth. NC State rallied for two runs in the sixth and four in the eighth to tie the game at 8-8, then won 9-8 on Tom Sergio's two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth.
• April 4, 1997. NC State trailed North Carolina 3-0 in the sixth inning, 7-3 in the seventh, and 8-5 in the eighth, but rallied each time, winning 9-7 in dramatic fashion on Brad Piercy's two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
The 1997 season was unique in the number of heartstopping comebacks for the Wolfpack, but there have been a few others over the years:
• May 22, 1998. In the second round of the NCAA West Regional at Palo Alto, Calif., NC State fell behin Alabama 9-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth and 10-3 after seven complete, but the Wolfpack scored 10 runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks in part to a pair of RBI hits by Todd DeMakes and stunned the Tide by a 13-10 score.
• May 5, 1990. Clemson led NC State 5-0 after seven innings in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. The loser went home, and that turned out to be the Tigers when the Pack scored three runs in the top of the eighth and three more in the top of the ninth to prevail 6-5.
• March 14, 1990. Coastal Carolina led NC State 6-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Wolfpack scored one in the seventh and six in the eighth to take home an 8-6 comeback win.
• May 15, 1989. In the elimination bracket of the ACC Tournament, Virginia led NC State 8-2 after six innings. The Pack scored five in the top of the seventh and four more in the top of the eighth and rolled to an 11-8 victory to eliminate the Cavaliers from the tournament.
• May 5, 1989. NC State trailed Georgia Tech 7-2 after seven innings, but scored seven in the eighth and one in the ninth to pull out a 10-8 thriller.
