No. 4 Auburn baseball fought off elimination Saturday afternoon, defeating NC State 17-13 in a back-and-forth affair.
Although the Wolfpack never held the lead in the elimination game, the Tigers saw two different 10-run leads trimmed to three and four runs, respectively.
Auburn was led at the plate by Ethin Bingaman and Cade Belyeu, who each recorded two home runs and combined for seven RBIs.
“It felt unbelievable,” Belyeu said of his performance. “Like you said, it’s been a rough year. That’s in the past, and I’ve been taking it a game at a time and trying to win for Auburn and not for me. That’s the important thing right now, is to go out there every day and not think about the past and think about what’s next.”
Facing elimination, the Tigers took advantage of their opportunities, hitting 9-for-23 (.391) with runners on base and 7-for-11 (.636) with runners in scoring position.
After falling behind 10-0 to Milwaukee Friday in the regional opener, Auburn returned the favor to NC State, jumping out to an 8-0 lead after one inning. The Tigers scored eight runs on seven hits and one error and were led by Chase Fralick, who got things started with a three-run homer, driving in Eric Guevara and Mason McCraine. Bub Terrell, Bingaman, Taylor Belza, McCraine and Fralick drove in the remaining runs in the opening frame.
In the second, Auburn kept the party going as Belyeu launched his first home run of the game into right-center field, scoring Terrell and extending the lead to 10-0.
NC State immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning via a single from Dalton Bargo and a ground ball from Andrew Wiggins to cut the deficit to 10-2 after two innings of play.
In the third, the Wolfpack silenced Plainsman Park, recording five runs on three hits, capped by Bargo’s two-run home run to make it a 10-7 game. Bargo finished the afternoon 3-for-5 with four RBIs.
The scoring didn’t stop there, as Bingaman belted his second two-run home run of the day to right field in the fourth, extending Auburn’s lead to 12-7. The Redlands, California, native went 3-for-6 on the day with three extra-base hits and three RBIs.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Auburn starter Andreas Alvarez retired six NC State batters in order. The right-hander went 5 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits, nine runs (four earned) and striking out one en route to his 10th victory of the season.
In the sixth, the Tigers rebuilt a 10-run lead courtesy of clutch hits from Belyeu, Fralick and Rembert, extending the lead to 17-7. Belyeu’s second home run of the game marked just his third long ball of the season.
NC State started trimming that 10-run advantage in the bottom half of the frame, as Luke Nixon and Chris McHugh both singled to make it a 17-9 Auburn lead.
In the seventh, the Wolfpack once again made Plainsman Park restless as they drove in four runs on three hits, including a solo shot from Vincent Decarlo to cut Auburn’s four-run advantage to 17-13.
In the bottom of the ninth, with no one on and two outs, Jackson Sanders recorded his seventh putout on a Wolfpack pitch-clock violation to end NC State’s season and 30-year head coach Elliott Avent’s career.
The Tigers’ hopes of a trip to Omaha and the College World Series remain alive, but they will have to win three more straight games to advance to the super regional round.
The journey continues tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m., as Auburn will take on the loser of Milwaukee and UCF.
“We have to keep fighting and find a way here through this regional,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said.
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Rory Garvin, junior in journalism sports production, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Spring 2025. Garvin previously served as a Sports Reporter. He is currently serving as the Assistant Sports Editor.
