The Wolfpack returned to action with a 10-8 loss on Friday afternoon in the first of a three-game series with Wright State at Dail Park. The Raiders touched up the Wolfpack pitching staff with 14 hits and three home runs on a windy day at the Doak.
Don’t let the names of the schools fool you, Wright State is a good baseball team. The Raiders won the Horizon League last season and eliminated Ohio and Notre Dame in the Champagne Regional before falling to Illinois in the final. They were Baseball America’s pick to win the Horizon again this year and they boast a roster stocked with prospects for the 2016 MLB Draft.
Those prospects carried the Raiders to a win over NC State on Friday night. Senior right hander Jesse Scholtens, the No. 30-ranked senior in the MLB Draft class according to Baseball America, struggled early as he gave up four runs in a rocky second inning.
Scholtens settled down quickly and demonstrated his talent as he set down eight straight batters after the second before junior first baseman Preston Palmeiro singled up the middle.
While his offense caught and eventually overtook the Wolfpack, Scholtens set the Wolfpack hitters down one after another finishing with six innings pitched, six hits and four runs. Four of those hits and all of the runs occurred in the second inning.
“We played about as we could offensively,” Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent said. “I thought [Scholtens] was very good for Wright State.”
Junior catcher Sean Murphy also made his mark for the Raiders, drilling a two-run home run to dead centerfield in the third inning. The No. 32 in the 2016 MLB Draft class finished the game 1 for 4, but his two-run home run helped turn the tide of the game.
Junior left hander Ryan Williamson took the mound for the Wolfpack after his start against St. John’s on Wednesday was rained out. Williamson lasted only four innings, giving up four runs on six hits. Williamson did strike out six of the 19 batters he faced, but as was the case last year as well, lofty strikeout totals did not equate to success for the left hander.
The game looked to be going the Wolfpack’s way after the second inning, where NC State jumped out to a 4-1 lead behind a barrage extra base hits. Sophomore shortstop Joe Dunand laced a double over the third base bag and sophomore left fielder Shane Shepard followed him by crushing the first pitch he saw for a two-run home run to right field.
After freshman second base Xavier LeGrant walked and senior designated hitter Chance Shepard doubled to left, the Wolfpack added two more on a sac-fly and double by sophomore centerfielder Josh McLain.
Williamson couldn’t hold the lead however and the bullpen offered no assistance. Freshman reliever Austin Staley allowed two runs in one and one third innings and sophomore righty Evan Brabrand struggled mightily, allowing four runs in just a single inning of work.
The Wolfpack made a furious charge in the ninth innings, as Chance Shepard led off with a solo home run to pull the game to 10-6. Just three batters later, Palmeiro made it a game by blasting a two-run home run off the batter’s eye in center field to bring it two 10-8.
Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, Knizner’s fly ball was corralled at the warning track and Dunand grounded out to end the game.
The question for the Wolfpack moving forward will be if it can find a way to get any better results from what has been an abysmal pitching staff in the early part of the season.
“Starting pitching is going to have to pick it up a little bit,” Avent said. “We’re up 4-1 against a good team. We’re up 4-1 and we’re walking people, we’re getting behind people and making it tough on ourselves.”
The Wolfpack will give sophomore ace Brian Brown (0-0, 13.50 ERA) the ball on Saturday and hope for better results than last outing. Junior pitcher Joe O’Donnell (0-0, 3.38 ERA) will go Sunday for NC State as they look to salvage the last two games of the series.
