STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford (24-23, 11-15 ACC) got off to a great start on Saturday afternoon in pursuit of a series-clinching victory, opening up a 5-0 lead after two innings, but NC State (31-18, 13-13 ACC) turned things around from there, tossing five straight zeros while plating 11 runs in the fourth through sixth innings to earn a 12-7 victory.
Wolfpack reliever Sam Harris was the hero on the mound for the visitors, tossing 6 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four to earn the victory and move to 2-1.
The Cardinal used the long ball to jump out to the early five-run cushion as Teddy Tokheim launched the first of his two two-run home runs on the day in the first inning. Sophomore JJ Moran followed with a solo blast in the first as Stanford hung a three up in the opening stanza. Tokheim would connect for his second two-run blast in the second inning – an opposite-field homer that ran his season home run total to 15.
The multi-homer game was the third of Tokheim’s career as he finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs.
With the Cardinal leading 5-0 in the bottom of the third, the momentum began to shift in favor of NC State when Harris took over on the hill with two aboard and nobody out. The right-hander promptly struck out Jimmy Nati and induced an inning-ending double play to thwart the rally.
After working three scoreless innings to start the game for the Cardinal, senior right-hander Toran O’Harran immediately ran into trouble in the fourth after walking the first two hitters. A third walk, this one issued by reliever Austin Steeves, loaded the bases before NC State traded a pair of ground balls for runs to cut the deficit to 5-2.
The free pass haunted the Cardinal throughout the game on Saturday, as Stanford hurlers combined to walk nine hitters.
NC State broke out in a big way in the fifth against reliever Sam Garewal, scoring five runs on four hits to take a 7-5 lead. Andrew Wiggins delivered a two-RBI single and was involved in a double steal that tied the game at 5-5 as Sherman Johnson broke from third on a throw that was cut off between the mound and second base by Charlie Bates. After securing the catch, Bates’ return throw to the plate was high and skipped off the glove of Luke Lavin as Johnson slid home with the tying run. Vincent DeCarlo capped the five-run frame with a two-RBI double on the first pitch he saw from Stanford reliever Ben Reimers.
Garewal was ultimately saddled with the loss and dropped to 0-3 on the year after allowing five runs on three hits and two walks while recording two outs.
With Harris busy putting up zeros defensively, the Wolfpack offense got back to work in the sixth – scoring four more runs to blow the game open at 11-5. A two-run home run from Wiggins, his sixth of the year, highlighted the four-run inning.
The two teams would trade long balls in the eighth, as Ty Head connected for his team-leading 13th of the year in the top of the inning before Rintaro Sasaki demolished a pitch 476 feet to right field for his team-best 16th in the Cardinal half of the frame.
A pair of pinch hitters managed to put the final tally on the board for the Cardinal in the bottom of the ninth as freshman Philip Cheong led off the inning with a single before scoring all the way from first on a double inside the bag at third from Henry McDonald.
The two teams will decide the three-game ACC series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. The Cardinal will honor its senior class as part of Senior Day on Sunday while also celebrating Mother’s Day with ceremonial first pitches thrown by Cardinal player moms.