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CLEMSON, S.C. – Sophomore lefthander Dominic Fritton pitched 5.2 strong innings to lead NC State to a 4-0 victory over No. 2 Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Saturday night. The Wolfpack, who took a 2-0 lead in the series, improved to 20-12 overall and 10-7 in the ACC. The Tigers dropped to 28-6 overall and 10-4 in ACC play.
Fritton (2-3) earned the win by allowing just three hits, no runs and one walk with six strikeouts. Derrick Smith pitched 2.0 innings to record his third save of the year. Three Wolfpack pitchers combined to strand 11 Tigers on base, including seven combined runners left in scoring position in the final four innings.
Tiger starter Ethan Darden (5-1) suffered the loss despite pitching a complete game. He allowed seven hits, four runs (one earned) and no walks with five strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitched while throwing 105 pitches (80 strikes). It was Clemson’s first complete game since 2021, when Nick Hoffmann pitched a complete game at Boston College in the second game of a doubleheader on March 27.
The Wolfpack took advantage of two first-inning Tiger errors to score two unearned runs, then two more Clemson errors in the third inning led to an NC State run. Alec Makarewicz flared a run-scoring single in the fifth inning to give the Wolfpack a 4-0 lead.
Clemson’s streak of 15 weekend series wins in a row, including 11 ACC regular-season weekend series wins in a row, dating to 2023 came to an end. The Tigers’ 132-game streak of scoring at least one run dating to 2022 also came to an end.
The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Photos By Austin Christensen
