NC State baseball’s defeat vs Florida removed them from the College World Series.

In the elimination game on Monday, NC State baseball lost 5-4 to Florida, ending their run in the College World Series.

Jac Caglianone, the Gators’ two-way star, pitched the opening inning but started on the mound. To load the bases, he walked the next two batters after hitting the first one he faced. The Wolfpack left the bases loaded despite striking first with an RBI single. In the top of the second, Caglionone responded with a three-run blast, giving Florida a lead it would not give up.

NC State’s offense answered the Gators’ runs to prevent Florida from owning the momentum, but never managed to gain an advantage. Alec Makarewicz hit a home run for a second straight game, and Brandon Butterworth went 2-for-4 with two RBIs after going 0-for-4 in the first-round loss to Kentucky.

Logan Whitaker excels in relief

NC State coach Elliott Avent said Sunday that either Dominic Fritton or Logan Whitaker would start against the Gators. While Fritton wound up drawing the start, it was Whitaker who had the best day and longest outing on the mound.

Fritton’s start lasted two innings, in which he allowed four earned runs on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Whitaker entered the game in the third inning and shut down the Florida offense. The only run Whitaker allowed was a solo home run by Tyler Shelnut in the fifth inning, but he did not get the necessary run support to secure a win.

Whitaker set a new career-high with 10 strikeouts. He went for 104 pitches through seven innings and allowed one run on two hits and three walks.

Alec Makarewicz maintains hot hand

Makarewicz has been the catalyst of the Wolfpack offense throughout their postseason run. Despite the quick exit from Omaha, he put together another pair of excellent performances.

In Saturday’s loss to Kentucky, Makarewicz was 2-for-5 with a two-run home run that tied the game in the seventh inning. On Monday, he went 1-for-4 with another two-run homer. Makarewicz led all tournament players with 15 hits through two games and hit five home runs over his last six.

Brandon Neely too much for Wolfpack

Florida used four pitchers in the game and got solid lines from all of them. Caglianone gave up an early run in his lone inning, while Cade Fisher was responsible for the other three NC State runs in his four innings of work. Jake Clemente pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth before Florida turned to its star reliever, Brandon Neely, for the final three frames.

Neely shut the Pack’s offense down, giving up one hit and one walk with six strikeouts over the last three innings to earn the save. His eighth inning was particularly impressive. NC State had advanced a runner to third with two outs via a single, bunt and wild pitch, but Neely struck out Noah Soles to end the threat. He finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.