Baseball Drops Series Opener at No. 21 North Carolina State

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Facing a top-25 team on the road, the Belmont University baseball team kept themselves in the mix until the final two innings in an 11-4 loss to No. 21 North Carolina State on Friday at Doak Field in Raleigh. 

The Bruins trailed 7-4 in the eighth inning, but an error led to a four-run frame for the Wolfpack, who clinched the series opener after holding Belmont scoreless in the ninth. 

Belmont (2-4) tallied seven hits to NC State's nine, but couldn't quite keep up with the home team's ability to slug. 

Blake Barton finished 3-for-4 with a double and a run and Sam Kirkpatrick stayed hot with his fourth multi-hit game of the season, ending his day 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. 

Caleb Guisewite was lights out from the bullpen, tossing 2 1/3 innings in relief with no earned runs allowed and three strikeouts. 

Belmont drew first blood in the first inning, manufacturing a run to get on the board first. Kirkpatrick doubled down the left field line and got to third on a wild pitch, allowing Brodey Heaton's sacrifice fly to center field bring him in. 

NC State (5-0) responded in the home half of the opening inning, getting a leadoff single and a two-run homer to take a 2-1 lead. 

The Bruins would even the score in the third inning, 2-2. Kirkpatrick delivered his second hit of the day with a two-out single that snuck through the right side. After advancing to second base on a balk, the shortstop scored on a single to the left side from Heaton, who recorded his second RBI with the base hit. 

NC State would go up for good in the bottom of the third inning, taking advantage of a couple of walks to allow Gino Groover to come up to the plate with the bases loaded. Groover hit a grand slam to left field, giving the Wolfpack a 6-2 lead. 

Belmont would cut into the lead in the fourth, when Max Blessinger led off the inning with a single and Blake Barton backed him up by blasting a ground-rule double down the right field line, putting men at second and third base with nobody out.  

A Sam Slaughter RBI groundout scored Blessinger and advanced Barton to third. With two outs and Jack Rando behind in the count, the Bruins executed a play wherein Ethan Harden goaded a throw to second on an attempted steal, allowing Barton to cross home plate while Harden danced back and forth in the basepath to buy time. 

When the dust cleared, Belmont trailed 6-4 going into the bottom of the fourth inning. NC State would add a run, leading 7-4, and the next three frames were scoreless for both sides, with Andy Bean (L, 0-2) grinding his way through the lineup before passing the baton to Guisewite. 

Four runs came across in the eighth for NC State, all unearned, to help secure the win for the No. 21 team in the country. 

Up Next 

Belmont will return to Doak Field on Saturday afternoon for the middle game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.  

Sophomore right-hander Jordan Zuger will get the start for the Bruins, opposed by junior right-hander Matt Willadsen for the Wolfpack. 

The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra and the ESPN app, and live radio play-by-play will be carried on the Bruin Sports Network. 

Follow Belmont baseball on social media - @BelmontBaseball on Twitter and @belmontbaseball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.               

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