DURHAM — NC State freshman catcher Patrick Bailey set the tone early and the Wolfpack’s cadre of pitchers combined to limit North Carolina in an 8-3 non-conference win Tuesday in front of 6,799 fans at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Bailey pulled a two-run homer to right field to start the scoring in the top of the second inning. He later added another RBI to build the Wolfpack’s lead to 5-1 in the fifth inning.
Junior first baseman Evan Edwards made sure the Tar Heels didn’t ponder any kind of a comeback, with a three-run blast of his own to right field in the top of the ninth inning. The Edwards and Bailey duo combined to go 5 of 10 at the plate with six RBI and three runs scored for the Wolfpack (29-7).
“This was a lot of fun and I ended up putting a good swing on it,” Bailey said about his homer. “I definitely had some pregame jitters.”
NC State head coach Elliott Avent noted Bailey fits in well with the pantheon of former successful Wolfpack catchers. NCSU has had eight catchers drafted in the past 15 MLB drafts, including four in the top four rounds and two more in the first eight rounds.
Bailey’s ability to be a switch-hitter adds a different dimension at the plate.
“We’ve had so many great catchers here, but as a true freshman catcher, he’s been sensational,” the coach said.
Bailey joked that Edwards’ source of power came from his full beard. The South Carolina-Lancaster transfer takes the ribbing in stride and was unassuming about his big night.
“It feels good [to win],” Edwards said. “The team definitely deserves it. We’ve been working hard all fall and all preseason. It feels good to get this win.
“I don’t know [about the beard]. I don’t want to say it does [give power] or it doesn’t.”
Six NC State pitchers combined for eight strikeouts and scattered seven hits. Reid Johnston started the contest and went two innings to earn the win and improved to 5-0 on the season. Avent said Johnston earned the start due to his ability to throw strikes.
“Our pitching staff did a great job of attacking guys,” Bailey said. “That was a very good hitting lineup.”
North Carolina came alive in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring twice to cut NC State’s lead to 5-3, and had runners at the corners with two outs. Reliever Kent Klyman came through with a big punch out for the third and final out to end the rally.
“In a game like this, everything is big,” Avent said. “Our guys have been making pitches.”
NC State improved to 9-0 in mid-week games this season, but Bailey said the atmosphere for this particular contest was decidedly different.
“It definitely didn’t feel like a mid-week game tonight when you have this type of crowd and this type of opponent,” Bailey explained.
UNC was the first mid-week game against an opponent from a Power Five Conference.
“I’m just happy with the way we are playing, period,” Avent said. “We played very, very good and we’ve been very consistent.
"I think we've been good every day. We have been very consistent."
NC State, which is ranked No. 2 in the country, will return to Durham this weekend, but this time for a three-game series against Duke (30-7 overall, 12-5 ACC), who leads the Coastal Division. NCSU will host ECU April 24 and UNC on April 27-29. All three in-state rivals are nationally ranked.
“The best part of this team is that everybody loves each other and picks on each other,” Bailey said. “It’s just a really cool atmosphere to be a part of.”
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