NC State baseball falls on senior day as Wake Forest completes sweep

In a forgettable end to a forgettable series, NC State baseball fell 5-0 on senior day to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who completed the series sweep with the win.

The Wolfpack (33-20, 14-15 ACC) could not muster a single run against the Demon Deacons (39-16-1, 15-14-1 ACC), who scored five runs on 11 hits.

After a scoreless first inning, Wake Forest scored the game’s first run on a solo shot in the second inning. The Deacs later padded that lead with another solo homer and an RBI single in the fourth inning to go up 3-0.

Meanwhile, the Pack struggled to get on base the whole day and didn't get its first hit until the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Wake Forest scored another two runs on an NC State fielding error and a sacrifice fly to go up 5-0.

The Pack only had two more hits the rest of the game, which was sent into a lightning delay in the top of the ninth. The Deacs closed it out in the bottom of the ninth to seal their big series sweep and a disappointing regular season ending for NC State as both teams head into next week’s ACC Championships.

While it was a rather forgettable baseball game, NC State took time before the contest to recognize its seniors: center fielder Devonte Brown, second baseman J.T. Jarrett, catcher Matt Oldham and pitchers David Harrison and Canaan Silver.

Brown and Jarrett were integral pieces of last year’s team that made it to the College World Series and had some of their biggest moments in the postseason. Jarrett had a couple of big go-ahead hits in last season’s ACC Championships, and Brown was the star of the Ruston Regional of the NCAA Tournament, hitting three home runs, including a grand slam.

Oldham transferred to NC State this season from Elon, while Harrison and Silver became regular rotation pitchers.

Next up, the Pack will play in the ACC Baseball Championships, which runs from May 24-29 in Charlotte. Pool play begins Tuesday and goes through Friday, in which NC State will play two games. The dates and times of those have yet to be determined.