Wolfpack Falls In ACC's Longest Game

Thursday, May 26

Durham, N.C.

7:00 PM

NC State

40-18

Georgia Tech (ACC Tournament)

34-24

Georgia Tech

NC State

5/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

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May 26, 2011

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DURHAM, N.C. -- The longest game in ACC Baseball Championship history was decided on a daring steal of home plate by Georgia Tech’s Mott Hyde in the top of the 15th inning, to give the third-seeded Yellow Jackets a 6-5 victory over seventh-seeded NC State early Friday morning at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Hyde doubled to open the inning and advanced to third on Sam Dove’s groundout to shortstop. With a 2-1 count on hitter Brandon Thomas, Hyde slyly nodded at his head coach, Danny Hall, and broke for home with what proved to be the game-winning run. It was Tech’s first steal of home since 2006 and the first time in Hall’s 24-year coaching career that he ever called for a straight steal of home.

The pitch from NC State reliever Ethan Ogburn was slightly outside and hopped off Pratt Maynard’s mitt, so there was no play at the plate.

“If I catch it, he’s out,” Maynard said.

For head coach Elliott Avent, whose team scored a 7-0 upset of second-seeded Florida State on Wednesday night, the circumstances were tough, but the loss was not necessarily disappointing, even though it snapped a six-game winning streak.

The Wolfpack (34-24) still has an opportunity to advance to Sunday’s 1 p.m. championship game, though it will need Florida State to beat Georgia Tech (40-18) Friday afternoon and the Wolfpack will have to beat Clemson in its next game, Saturday at 11 a.m.

“I’m proud of the way this team battled the entire game,” Avent said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a team in a loss. I’m so proud of the way they played, I’m not even disappointed we lost.

“We just need to get a little help and we can still play for the championship. I think this game will pay dividends for us when we play in an NCAA regional.”

Two previous ACC tournament games went 14 innings: a 1986 contest between Clemson and Wake Forest at the old Durham Athletic Park on the other side of downtown from the DBAP and a 7-6 NC State win over Duke in 1974 at the Wolfpack’s Doak Field in Raleigh.

The contest matched the longest game in Georgia Tech history, a 4-3 loss to Oglethorpe on May 1, 1933. For the Wolfpack, it was the longest game since an 18-inning victory Akron on March 4, 2009, a game in which State pitchers set an NCAA record with 31 strikeouts in a single-game. That game was the longest in school history.

In all, the two teams used a combined 13 pitchers and they threw a total of 488 pitches in the five-hour and seven-minute contest. Georgia Tech’s staff tied the ACC tournament record with 18 strikeouts in the game.

The seventh-seeded Wolfpack will have a day off to recuperate after playing back-to-back night games.

The Wolfpack left runners stranded on second in four consecutive innings late in the game, while the Yellow Jackets let a prime opportunity slip away in the top of the 12th after getting their first two batters of the inning on base. But Wolfpack reliever Chris Overman pitched out of the jam, when Tech’s Daniel Palka popped up a bunt attempt that was caught by State first baseman Harold Riggins, Overman struck out the next batter and Tech’s Sam Dove flied out to center field to end the threat.

NC State scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 4-2 Georgia Tech lead, after Jacket reliever Clay Dalton walked the bases loaded to open the inning. Wolfpack left fielder Cameron Conner hit a hot grounder at Georgia Tech shortstop Jacob Esch that bounced off Esch’s glove and went into center field, allowing both Chris Diaz and Brett Williams to score and tying the game at 4-4.

With Pratt Maynard on third, first baseman Harold Riggins hit a grounder deep in the hole that was fielded for an out, but allowed the go-ahead run to score.

Georgia Tech tied the game at 5 in the top of the eighth against reliever Josh Easley, who struck out the first two batters he faced, but gave up a walk and two bloop singles to center field that just missed the diving Williams’ outstretched glove.

Dove scored on the second single, by Zane Evans, but Easley struck out leadoff hitter Kyle Wren to end the inning and start the game on its long road to extra innings.

NC State pinch hitter Danny Canela led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to center field, but was stranded at second. The Wolfpack had runners in scoring position in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th but was unable to push any of them across the plate.

Wolfpack starter Rob Chamra pitched well for five innings, until giving up a home run to Tech third baseman Matt Skole that broke a 1-1 tie. Senior Grant Sasser replaced Chamra, but loaded the bases with a pair of walks that sandwiched a bunt single.

Tech catcher Zane Evans roped a two-out single to center field that scored two runs to give the Yellow Jackets a 4-1 lead.

“It was an incredible game,” Avent said. “It’s a shame that we lost it, but it showed the character and heart of this team. By this time next week, when we get to NCAA play, I think we’ll be talking about how much this game helped us.”

• By Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.