Wake Forest University
NC State
NC State Claims Back-and-Forth Game, 9-6
5/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
By Jay Garneau, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest dropped a back-and-forth contest to NC State, 9-6, in the series finale at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park on Monday night.
The Wolfpack (30-18, 14-12 ACC) jumped out to several leads, but the Demon Deacons (26-24, 11-16 ACC), fought back each time.
Justin Yurchak led the offensive efforts, finishing 2-for-4 with four runs batted in.
After Logan Ratledge hit two home runs to put the Wolfpack ahead 3-0, Stuart Fairchild drilled a run-scoring single and a Yurchak base hit brought home two more to tie the game at 3-3 in the fourth.
The game was halted for more than an hour due to a lightning delay in the fifth inning. Reliever Donnie Sellers, who entered right before the delay, struggled to regain his command as he hit a batter, allowed an RBI single, walk, and run-scoring wild pitch as NC State pushed its lead to 5-3.
Three walks and a sacrifice fly gave the Wolfpack another run in the sixth, but a dropped fly ball by NC State in the bottom of the inning allowed the Deacons to score a run to make it 6-4.
Wake Forest had chances to rally in each of the final three innings. Drew Freedman and Nate Mondou reached base, but were stranded in the seventh.
The Deacons got one back in the eighth. Ben Breazeale walked and came around to score on a Yurchak RBI single, cutting the deficit to 6-5. But, Wake Forest had the bases loaded with nobody away before a pair of strikeouts and a foulout ended the threat.
NC State brought around some much-needed insurance runs in the ninth, with a single and intentional walk setting up a three-run blast by Andrew Knizner, pushing the lead to 9-5.
In the bottom of the inning, Wake Forest loaded the bases with a Nate Mondou walk, Will Craig double and Fairchild hit by pitch. Yurchak brought in another run with a groundout, but a strikeout ended the game as the Deacons stranded two more.
For the Wolfpack, Joe O'Donnell (7-3) earned the win in relief and Travis Orwig picked up his second save. Connor Johnstone (2-4) took the loss as the Wake Forest starter.
The Demon Deacons tied their program record for being hit by pitches in a game, totaling six, matching the mark most recently set against Clemson in 2005. Fairchild also tied the individual program record, being hit by three pitches, the first to do so since Ben Terry did it twice in 2007.
Breazeale scored a career-high three runs, walking twice and being hit by a pitch.
Wake Forest's previously scheduled game against Coastal Carolina on Tuesday has been canceled due to changes in each program's conference schedule. The Demon Deacons wrap up the regular season with a three-game set at ACC rival Duke from Thursday-Saturday.
The Demon Deacons are a game out of 10th place in the ACC heading into the final weekend. The top 10 teams qualify for the ACC Tournament.
