NC State rallied to tie the game with single runs in the 7th and 8th. An Aaron Bates double and a two-out single by Brian Aragon made it 5-4. Matt Camp also delivered a clutch two-out single to tie it the next inning. The Wolfpack could have had a bigger inning, but with runners on 1st and 2nd and none out, Jonathon Diaz sac bunted into a double play.

The Mavs almost answered immediately. Adam Moore’s perfect hit-and-run single advanced David McCleod to third with none out. Robby Winn followed with a hard bouncer that looked destined for center field, but NC State pitcher Sam Walls somehow snagged it, and McCleod was caught in no-man’s land and tagged out. A balk moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd, and with the infield playing in, reliever Eric Surkamp got a groundout to second and Aragon made a nice running catch to end the inning.