#Pack9 Splits Saturday Doubleheader

April 18, 2015

NC State baseball fought for a 4-2 win in 14 innings at No. 25 Notre Dame on Saturday at Frank Eck Stadium, before suffering a 7-2 loss in the nightcap of a series-concluding doubleheader.

Bubby Riley drew a pair of starts and led the NC State offense with three hits in the twinbill including a double. Brock Deatherage and Andrew Knizner supplied two hits and two RBIs each over the course of the afternoon. Logan Ratledge contributed hits in each ballgame to extend his team-leading hitting streak to 20 games.

Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 1) | Play-by-Play (Game 1)

Top Performers:
Brock Deatherage (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, HBP), Brian Brown (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	R	H	E
NC STATE	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	11	0
NOTRE DAME	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	1

The Wolfpack (21-15, 9-10 ACC) battled through six scoreless innings with the Irish (25-12, 10-10) before a masterful substitution by Elliott Avent provided the go-ahead pop. Brock Deatherage pinch hit in the seventh and pasted a two-RBI double to left center, scoring Ryne Willard and Joe Dunand to grant the Pack a 2-0 lead.

Nine different Wolfpackers contributed hits, with Riley and Deatherage providing the only multi-hit efforts. Deatherage finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.

In the bottom of the ninth, Notre Dame knotted the score with two runs against the back end of the Wolfpack bullpen. Joe O'Donnell (5-2) was called on to stem the tide, and ended up claiming the win in 14 innings, dealing 5 2/3 hitless frames with two walks and four strikeouts.

Deatherage earned three trips on the basepaths by the end of game one, getting hit by pitch to lead off the 14th for his last. Josh McLain singled through the right side to push him to second, and a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position. Knizner's sac fly to center scored Deatherage. Willard drew a two-out walk with the bases loaded to drive in McLain, setting the final margin at 4-2.

Wolfpack starter Brian Brown pitched a six-inning gem, holding the Irish to two hits and no runs with a walk and four punchouts. Curt Britt was the first pitcher out of the pen, working an inning with one hit. Will Gilbert went 1 1/3 with two earned on three hits. Tommy DeJuneas walked the only batter he faced before ceding to O'Donnell.

Box Score (Game 2) | Box Score (Game 2) | Play-by-Play (Game 2)

Top Performers:
Preston Palmeiro (1-for-4, 2B, R, RBI), Johnny Piedmonte (4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NC STATE	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	1
NOTRE DAME	0	4	0	1	0	0	1	1	X	7	9	0

In the nightcap, NC State (21-16, 9-11) hung a pair of runs in the top first, but a two-run shot by Notre Dame (26-12, 11-10) in the bottom second tied it, and two more crossed to hand the Irish a lead they would not relinquish. The Irish added one run in the fourth, seventh, and eighth to take the series with a 7-2 victory.

Ryan Williamson (3-2) ended up saddled with the loss on four earned in 1 2/3. Jon Olczak went 1 1/3 next with one earned. Johnny Piedmonte threw 4 2/3 with a career-high seven strikeouts, holding Notre Dame to two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk. Brad Stone pitched the last 1/3.

Ratledge and Preston Palmeiro doubled for their lone hits on the evening. Palmeiro extended his hitting streak to eight games, scoring one of the Pack's two runs in game two. Jake Fincher scored the other. Knizner and Riley each added one single.

NC State returns to action on Tuesday, April 21 at East Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM. Radio coverage will be provided by 88.1 WKNC. Fans can follow along with live stats from GoPack.com, or Twitter updates from @NCStateBaseball.

Next Event

Team Stats

Logan Ratledge

Preston Palmeiro

Andrew Knizner

Bubby Riley

Players Mentioned

Jake Fincher

Will Gilbert

Andrew Knizner

Joe O'Donnell

Jon Olczak

Preston Palmeiro

Johnny Piedmonte

Logan Ratledge

Bubby Riley

Brad Stone

Ryan Williamson