NC State clinches series with 16-4 blowout of Boston College

NC State’s offense woke up in a big way on Saturday, making sure there would be no repeat of the late-game stress from Friday night. The Wolfpack put up crooked numbers in four different innings, burying Boston College with a five-run third and six-run sixth.

Boston College got to Wolfpack starting pitcher Reid Johnston, scoring a couple of runs in the first, and the Eagles took a 2-1 advantage into the third inning, which is when their pitching began to implode.

Four of State’s first five hitters in the top of the third reached via walk, gifting the Pack a run without requiring anybody to put a ball in play. After Brad Debo went down swinging for the second out, David Vasquez delivered on a two-run single up the middle, and Lawson McArthur followed with a two-run double.

The Pack’s big sixth began with a Will Wilson walk, a Patrick Bailey double, and an Evan Edwards RBI single. When those three get on in succession like that, it’s pretty tough to keep State out of a big inning.

After Edwards’ run-scoring single, State held a commanding 9-2 edge and put the game on ice with five more runs in the frame. McArthur notched his second 2-RBI double of the day to help put the Eagles away.

Johnston wasn’t as dominant Saturday as he was last weekend, but he had all the support he needed, both from his teammates and the BC pitching staff, which issued 12 free passes in addition to giving up 13 hits. And Johnston settled in nicely after BC’s two-run first inning, finishing the afternoon with three runs allowed in seven innings.

Edwards and McArthur both had multi-hit games that led to four RBIs apiece. Edwards notched a pair on a fourth-inning home run to left-center. Bailey finished 3-5 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored.

NC State improved to 29-3 (12-2) with the victory and will go for the series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday.