RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Brock Deatherage homered and North Carolina State beat Coastal Carolina 8-1 on Monday to force a deciding final game at the NCAA Tournament’s Raleigh Regional.
That game was suspended due to heavy rain early Tuesday morning with N.C. State leading 5-3. Coastal Carolina was batting with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth. It will resume at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
In the first game, Evan Mendoza drove in three runs and Preston Palmeiro and Deatherage each finished with two RBIs for the second-seeded Wolfpack (38-21), who led 8-0 in snapping the second-seeded Chanticleers’ 12-game winning streak.
G.K. Young hit a solo homer in the seventh for Coastal Carolina (46-16).
Will Gilbert (5-1) struck out nine in eight innings, both career highs, for N.C. State. Zack Hopeck (3-3) gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss.