In its first game at the College World Series, NC State baseball lost to Kentucky 5-4 in 10 innings on a walk-off home run by Mitchell Daly.
The No. 2 seed Wildcats (46-14) opened the scoring in the first inning, and the No. 10 seed Wolfpack (38-22) tied it in the top of the third. Kentucky reclaimed the lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth and held onto the two-run lead for most of the game.
NC State did not answer until a two-run homer tied the game in the seventh. After recapturing the momentum, the Wolfpack took its first lead in the ninth frame. Kentucky responded with a solo home run to tie the game and force a 10th inning, when the Wildcats would prevail on another solo homer.
Third baseman Alex Makarewicz led the Wolfpack offensively, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a home run. All-ACC catcher Jacob Cozart also had a solid day, hitting 3-for-4 with an RBI. Kentucky got good production at the plate from Ryan Nicholson (3-for-4 with a solo home run) and Nolan McCarthy (2-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run).
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Here are more observations from NC State’s first-round loss to Kentucky at the College World Series:
Two quality starts on the mound
Both teams opted for experience on the mound, as the two starting pitchers were graduate seniors. The two veterans both put together quality starts in the pitchers’ duel.
NC State’s Sam Highfill is no stranger to great performances at Omaha. In the 2021 College World Series, as a freshman, Highfill pitched a two-hit shutout in a career-high 7⅓ innings against Vanderbilt. In Friday’s loss, Highfill threw 116 total pitches across 7 innings. He surrendered three earned runs on six hits and two walks and had seven strikeouts.
Kentucky’s Trey Pooser played four years at the College of Charleston and was a two-time all-CAA selection before joining the Wildcats for 2024. He firmly established himself as the Wildcats’ ace this season and put forth a solid performance to help lift the Wildcats to victory. Pooser threw 106 pitches in 6⅔ innings and surrendered three earned runs on nine hits and two walks. He added three strikeouts.
Missed opportunities for NC State
The Wolfpack had scoring opportunities throughout the game and had more hits than the Wildcats, but it struggled to make the most of those opportunities.
NC State left two runners on base in the first and second innings with three of those four in scoring position. In the third inning, Cozart hit an RBI single that scored Garrett Pennington, but Cozart wound up stranded on second to end the frame. The Pack left another runner on first in the fourth inning.
The fifth inning was especially brutal for the NC State bats. Pennington and Makarewicz started the frame with a pair of singles to get two runners on with no outs, but Cozart grounded into a double play. With Pennington on third, Brandon Butterworth grounded out to end the inning with another runner left in scoring position.
After going down in order in the sixth, the Wolfpack finally broke through with Makarewicz’s home run in the seventh.
For the game, NC State left 12 runners on base with seven left in scoring position.
Kentucky walks it off in the 10th after intense final frames
With the score knotted at 3-3 through eight innings, the game came down to the wire. Just like the first two games of the College World Series on Thursday, it ended with a walk-off victory for the higher seed.
The Wolfpack had the momentum going into the ninth. Pennington walked on four pitches, and Cozart advanced him to third with a single into right field. Pennington scored on a wild pitch to give NC State its first lead. The Pack got another runner on via a walk to put two on with one in scoring position, but just as it had happened all day, both runners were stranded.
Kentucky responded immediately in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game with a solo home run by Nicholson on the second pitch of the frame. A single by McCarthy put the winning run on base, and McCarthy advanced to third on two straight groundouts. NC State barely survived the threat to force the 10th frame.
In the extra inning, NC State went down in order, and Kentucky won it with Daly’s home run.
What’s next for NC State baseball?
With the loss, NC State moves into the losers bracket in Bracket 2. The Wolfpack will play an elimination game at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, June 17, against the loser of Friday evening’s matchup between Texas A&M and Florida.
