NC State out-slugs Wake Forest, 13-7

Balls were leaving the ballpark in Winston-Salem Friday evening like they had somewhere better to be. All told, the game featured nine home runs between NC State and Wake Forest. Thankfully for the Wolfpack, they powered five of those homers, defeating the home team Demon Deacons by a score of 13-7.

Wake Forest jumped out 2-0 in the bottom of the first on a Brock Wilken flyball that happened to carry over the fence with a little assistance from the wind for a two-run homer. NC State would tack on an unearned run in the top of the 2nd thanks to a Wake Forest error, and subsequently tie the game at 2 apiece in the 3rd inning on a Tyler McDonough two-out solo home run.

The Deacs answered in the bottom half of the 3rd on a Bobby Seymour two-run home run.

State would take their first lead of the game in the 4th on back-to-back home runs by Devonte Brown and Terrell Tatum. Jose Torres doubled with one out before Brown went opposite field for the game-tying home run. Tatum followed with a blast of his own for the lead.

That lead was short-lived as Papa Shane Muntz led off the bottom of the 4th with a home run. In the bottom of the following inning, Seymour would go yard again to give Wake the lead back, 6-5.

Tatum decided he, too, wanted a multi-homer game and went deep again in the top of the 6th to again tie things up. Unfortunately, Wake retook the lead in the bottom of the frame, scoring a run thanks to a two-base error and a wild pitch.

From that point on, though, it was all Wolfpack.

Jonny Butler destroyed a pitch with two men on in the 7th for a three-run home run and a 9-7 Wolfpack lead. Even sweeter was that Wake intentionally walked Luca Tresh to get to Butler, who made them pay dearly with the game-winning RBI.

State tacked on four more runs in the 8th inning, highlighted by an Austin Murr RBI double and a Tresh RBI single that followed a two-run Wake error.

Butler (3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB), Tatum (2-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB), and Murr (2-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI) each had multiple hits on the day. Tresh (1-3, R, RBI, BB, HBP) also reached base multiple times.

Dalton Feeney earned the win in relief, despite allowing two hits and giving up an unearned run in his one inning of work. He relieved Sam Highfill, who battled through the game - including taking a line drive off the face in the 3rd inning. Evan Justice earned the save with three scoreless innings of relief to close out the game.

Game 2 of the series is tomorrow at 4:00pm.