FAYETTEVILLE — The NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional is going to a decisive third game.
No. 17 North Carolina State held on for a 6-5 victory over top-ranked Arkansas on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium to even the best-of-three-game series at one game apiece.
The teams are scheduled to play Sunday at 5 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the College World Series.
The Wolfpack (34-18) hit three home runs against Arkansas reliever Ryan Costeiu over four at bats in the fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead. Jose Torres’ two-run homer put NC State ahead 3-2, and Luca Tresh and Vojtech Mensik added solo homers against Costeiu.
Arkansas scored three runs in the seventh inning to pull within 6-5, but left the tying run at third base when Christian Franklin struck out against NC State closer Evan Justice with runners on the corners. Justice retired the Razorbacks’ final seven batters in a non-save situation.
Freshman right hander Sam Highfill (8-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings to lead NC State. Highfill gave up a two-run home run to Charlie Welch in the second inning, then retired 16 in a row before Brady Slavens’ one-out solo homer in the seventh pulled Arkansas within 6-3.
The home runs were the Razorbacks’ only hits against Highfill, who walked 2, allowed 4 runs and struck out 5.
Justice relieved Highfill after he walked Welch in five pitches following the Slavens home run. Cullen Smith singled to advance Welch to third base, and Welch scored on a throwing error by Torres, the NC State shortstop. The Razorbacks added a run against Justice on Jalen Battles’ two-out single to score Smith.
Franklin, who entered the game in the fifth inning after missing his second consecutive start due to strep throat, took Justice to a 2-2 count, but struck out swinging to end Arkansas’ final scoring chance. Cayden Wallace and Slavens struck out against Justice in the eighth, and Smith struck out swinging at a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
Justice struck out four in 2 2/3 innings.
Arkansas (50-12) got a short start from Lael Lockhart, who was lifted in the third inning following a pair of infield hits. Costeiu inherited runners at second and third base, but limited the damage to one run on Tyler McDonough’s RBI groundout that pulled the Wolfpack within 2-1.
Costeiu (8-3) recorded just one out in the following inning. Terrance Tatum began the inning with a single before Torres, Tresh and Mensik all homered on two-strike pitches.
NC State added a pivotal run against Connor Noland in the sixth inning to go ahead 6-2. J.T. Jarrett’s RBI groundout scored Tresh.
Arkansas’ rally in the seventh prompted the Razorbacks to turn to ace reliever Kevin Kopps in the bottom of the inning. Kopps retired all six hitters he faced in 21 pitches, setting him up well for another outing Sunday.
Justice threw 48 pitches.
Arkansas is 7-0 this season in games that determine the winner of a three-game set, including a 6-2 victory over Nebraska in the finale of the Fayetteville Regional.
NC State was 1-2 in games that determined a series winner in the regular season. The Wolfpack defeated Wake Forest, and lost to Miami and Notre Dame.