NC State Outlasts No. 2 Clemson 11-8

CLEMSON, S.C. - NC State scored 10 of its 11 runs with two outs in its 11-8 victory over No. 2 Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Friday night. The Wolfpack, who took a 1-0 lead in the series and snapped their five-game losing streak, improved to 19-12 overall and 9-7 in the ACC. The Tigers dropped to 28-5 overall and 10-3 in ACC play.

Josh Hogue belted a solo homer in the top of the first inning, then Will Taylor responded with a two-run homer, his seventh of the season, in the bottom of the first inning. The Wolfpack regained the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth inning, capped by Eli Serrano III’s two-out, two-run double and Drew Lanphere’s two-out, run-scoring single.

Jimmy Obertop crushed a 464-foot two-run homer, his ninth of the year, in the bottom of the fourth inning. Later in the inning, Taylor ripped a two-out, two-run single to give Clemson a 6-5 lead. NC State came right back and plated four two-out runs in the top of the fifth inning after a costly two-out error.

Blake Wright’s leadoff homer, his 14th of the season, in the bottom of the fifth inning narrowed NC State’s lead to 9-7. Clemson cut NC State’s lead in half later in the frame on Nolan Nawrocki’s RBI groundout. In the eighth inning, Alec Makarewicz blooped a two-out, run-scoring single and Luke Nixon flared a two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth inning.

Shane Van Dam (4-0) pitched 4.2 innings in relief of two-hit ball with eight strikeouts to earn the win, while Derrick Smith recorded the last three outs to register his second save of the year. Rocco Reid (2-1) suffered the loss.

The series continues Saturday at 8 p.m. on ACC Network.