CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com)
– NC State and Duke missed their scheduled chance to meet during the regular season, but they will do so on Sunday with an ACC Baseball Championship title on the line.A strong outing by Wolfpack starting pitcher Sam Highfill and timely hitting from J.T. Jarrett, Luca Tresh and Tyler McDonough spelled the difference as third-seeded NC State defeated No. 2 seed Georgia Tech 8-1 in the second tournament semifinal game Saturday at Truist Field.
NC State (30-16) and ninth-seeded Duke (31-10) will meet in Sunday’s noon championship game (ESPN2). The winner earns the ACC’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
Duke’s last ACC title came in 1961, and the Wolfpack seeks to hoist the trophy for the first time since 1992. NC State last reached the tournament final in 2015, when it dropped a 6-2 decision to Florida State in Durham.
The Wolfpack and Blue Devils had a three-game series slated in Durham this past March, but the games were canceled due to COVID protocols. NC State has won 10 of 12 previous games versus Duke in ACC Baseball Championship play.
Highfill (6-2) limited the Yellow Jackets to one run while working 6 1/3 innings on the mound. The freshman right-hander allowed four hits while walking three and striking out five. Evan Justice pitched a perfect 2 2/3 innings in relief for his ninth save of the year.
Jarrett staked the Wolfpack to a 3-0 lead with a bases-clearing double in the top of the second inning, and Tresh led off with the fourth inning with his 12th home run of the season for a 4-1 NC State lead.
The Yellow Jackets (29-23) momentarily appeared to close within 4-3 when Kevin Parada sent a drive over the wall in left field for what was initially ruled a two-run homer. But the call was reversed to a foul ball after video replay, and the score remained 4-1.
NC State tacked on two more runs for a 6-1 lead before McDonough’s two-run home run in the top of the ninth capped the scoring.
The homer was McDonough’s 14th of the season and the 45th in the 14 ACC Baseball Championship games played thus far. The record for total home runs in the tournament since the ACC switched to a pool play format in 2007 is 51 in 2010 at Greensboro, North Carolina (13 games).
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May 30, 2021 at 07:59AM
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Wolfpack Snares Second Spot in ACC Championship Game - The ACC
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