NC State baseball downs Duke for seventh straight ACC series win

Will Wilson was denied once; the N.C. State shortstop wasn’t about to be denied again.

Wilson drove in a run and scored another — with some help from the replay booth — in an eventful sixth inning to lead the fourth-ranked Wolfpack to a 2-1 win at No. 9 Duke on Saturday.

It’s the seventh straight ACC series win, without a series loss, for the Atlantic Division-leading Wolfpack (31-7, 15-5 ACC) but first decided by a overturned replay call.

N.C. State won Friday’s game 9-2 at Duke (30-10, 12-7 ACC) with its usual hitting onslaught. Saturday’s game at Duke’s quaint campus home, Jack Coombs Field, was quite a bit different. There was some clutch hitting by Wilson, another strong outing by Wolfpack ace Brian Brown and there was also a confusing, multi-layered replay review.

Replay challenges are new to college baseball this season and each coach gets two per game. N.C. State coach Elliott Avent used one in the controversial sixth inning. Wilson was initially called out after he tried to tag up on a short pop fly to right field by Evan Edwards.

Avent, who actually thought in real-time home plate umpire Craig Barron made the right call, decided to challenge the call.

“That’s the thing about replay, I thought he possibly was out but if there’s no penalty, why not challenge it?” Avent said.

The replay showed the throw from Duke right fielder Griffin Conine beat Wilson to the plate but the Wolfpack sophomore slid under the tag of Duke catcher Chris Proctor.

Avent challenged the call and it was overturned.

“I definitely thought I got in,” Wilson said. “I don’t think it was a great angle (on the replay) but I think they got it right.”

Wilson was ruled safe and N.C. State had a 2-0 lead. Wilson knocked in Josh McLain, who hit a leadoff double, with a triple for the Wolfpack’s first run in the sixth.

Then Duke coach Chris Pollard challenged the challenge, of sorts. Pollard challenged if Wilson had tagged up too early. The replay showed Wilson had waiteduntil Conine caught the ball. Duke’s challenge was denied, the run stood.

It was a replay first for Avent.

“I don’t know how this thing works,” Avent said. “I’m not sure anyone knows how this thing works. It might be like Congress, nobody know how it works.”

Duke entered the weekend in first place in the Coastal Division but the two losses to the Wolfpack have knocked them into second behind North Carolina. The Blue Devils have won five of their seven ACC series this season but don’t have a series win over team with a winning conference record.

Wilson thought he had three runs in the first inning off of Duke starter Mitch Stallings (3-3). Wilson’s drive backed Duke left fielder Jimmy Herron to the wall but Herron jumped and kept it from going out of the park.

With runners on first and second, Herron saved three runs for Stallings, who was really sharp in striking out nine in 6.1 innings. But N.C. State’s pitching was just a little bit better.

Brown, who has been sick and didn’t even come to Friday’s game, worked 5.2 scoreless innings for his sixth win of the season. N.C. State has won all 10 of the senior pitcher’s starts this season.

“He’s sick as he can be,” Avent said of Brown. “I tried to tell him to stay at home today and pitch tomorrow.”

Brown wouldn’t have it. He went as far as he could and then handed the ball off to Kent Klyman, who only allowed an unearned run in 2.2 innings in relief. Joe O’Donnell got the final two outs for his fourth save.

This story was originally published April 21, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "NC State baseball downs Duke for seventh straight ACC series win."