During the last three games, the No. 13 NC State Wolfpack baseball team combined to score three runs and lost two of those three games. Tuesday night against the Indiana State Sycamores was a different story as the offense got rolling again.
The Wolfpack defeated the Sycamores 8-3 behind a seven-run surge in the fourth inning. The game was the first time the Wolfpack scored more than five runs in a game in more than a week.
Coming into the game, the Wolfpack (13-4, 1-2 ACC) struggled during its weekend series against the Boston College Eagles, losing two of three games. While the the Sycamores, (10-5) were on a four-game winning streak, head coach Elliott Avent recognized that even though the team got the victory, the Sycamores defense did not play their best.
“That’s a good team, but they didn’t play very well,” Avent said. “But give us a lot of credit, we found a way to win tonight.”
The Sycamores did not take long to get one the board. Sophomore third baseman Andy Young took the third pitch of the game off junior left handed pitcher Ryan Williamson over the centerfield wall for a solo home run. Williamson got the next two batters out to keep the Wolfpack within one run through the first.
Williamson knew that despite giving up an early home run on a hanging changeup, he needed to be focused about what he needed to do to get the win for the team.
“I knew that it was early in the game and I was just telling myself that even if they score one they can’t score another one,” Williamson said. “I just knew that I could get through and get the win.”
Following two singles by sophomore shortstop Joe Dunand and sophomore second baseman Evan Mendoza, redshirt freshman left fielder Storm Edwards recorded his first collegiate hit and RBI to bring home Dunand to tie things up at 1-1 at the end of the second.
Following a few scoreless frames from both teams, the Wolfpack offense erupted in the bottom of the fourth.
Sophomore designated hitter Shane Shepard got things rolling with a leadoff triple, and Dunand hit a single to centerfield to drive home Shepard and give the Wolfpack its first lead of the game. The Dunand RBI was the catalyst for a seven-run, six-hit inning for NC State to give them a commanding 8-1 lead going into the fifth.
Dunand recognized that the RBI might not have happened if Shepard didn’t get the leadoff triple in the fourth inning.
“It was big time. He led off the inning with that leadoff triple,” Dunand said. “My approach was just to try and get him in and get the run on the board.”
The seven run inning was the largest offensive output for the Wolfpack in its last three games as it outscored its offensive output from its three game series against Boston College over the weekend. For Avent, it was refreshing to win without relying on home runs.
“We have won a lot of games with the long balls,” Avent said. “We need to learn how to win with doubles and tonight I think that we did that really well.”
Williamson was removed from the game after five innings of work, and the bullpen to work to seal the deal. Freshman Austin Staley, redshirt senior Chris Williams and redshirt junior Sean Adler did not disappoint.
Despite giving up a run in the inning he replaced WIlliamson, Staley pitched a solid two-thirds of an inning before being relieved by Williams who pitched two solid innings with no walks and one strike outs.
The Sycamores tried to make things interesting by getting a two-out RBI in the ninth en route to loading the bases, but Adler managed to get out of the jam to end the game with a 8-3 win for the Wolfpack. Avent noted that the team could have easily let the Sycamores back into the game.
“You wind up 8-3 with the bases loaded,” Avent said. “The tying run could have easily come to the plate and we can’t do that. Cannot happen.”
The Wolfpack will play one more game against the Sycamores Wednesday before starting a weekend series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Friday.
