The No. 6 N.C. State baseball team (4-1 overall) defeated the Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-5 overall) on Friday by a score of 6-5. The win marked junior pitcher Carlos Rodon’s (1-1 overall, 2.86 ERA) first victory of the season.
Rodon (eight IP, four ER, five hits, nine strikeouts) bounced back after losing an opening day start to Canisius, 3-0. Avent said the southpaw was in command of hit pitches on Friday.
“Carlos pitched very well,” Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent said. “That was Carlos from May or June. Very dominating, very sure of himself. He had a changeup very similar to the one I saw when he beat Cuba for Team U.S.A.”
Rodon started the day appearing confident and comfortable, throwing two quick strikeouts and fielding an easy comeback grounder.
The Pack’s batting order put immense pressure on the Mountaineers’ junior pitcher Jamie Nunn, who threw 31 pitches in the first inning alone. Junior catcher Brett Austin added to Nunn’s pitch count by fighting off six pitches on a full count, fouling them off and eventually drawing a walk to first. With runners on first and third, junior second baseman Logan Ratledge hit a ground ball that slipped through the bare hand of Nunn, sending Austin home for the first score of the game.
App came out bunting in the top of the third. After an error by junior shortstop Trea Turner to start the inning, senior right fielder Preston Troutman reached on a bunt single. The Mountaineers would capitalize on the error when a single to right field from sophomore center fielder Jaylin Davis sent two Mountaineer runners home to put App State on the scoreboard.
N.C. State responded in the bottom half of the inning with two doubles, one coming from Austin and the other from junior left fielder Bubby Riley, which sent Austin home to tie the game at 2-2.
A defensive fourth and fifth inning was well executed by both teams. In the bottom of the sixth, the Wolfpack batting order surged back into the game. Turner hit an easy grounder to senior third baseman William Head, who overthrew the ball to first, allowing Turner turn and take second. Directly after, Riley hit a double to left center, sending Turner home to retake the lead.
N.C. State continued its power trip in the seventh. Freshman third baseman Andrew Knizner began the offensive by hitting a high chopper over the head of the third baseman, Head. Knizner made it to third and advanced home after a wild pitch by Nunn.
The Wolfpack utilized small ball in the form of a double steal when Riley ran towards second, allowing Austin the opportunity to scamper home after App’s catcher challenged Riley’s steal.
Appalachian State responded in the top of the eighth, aided by N.C. State’s poor defense. After a leadoff double down the right field line, Knizner botched an easy ground ball. With two runners on, Davis drilled a three run homer over the left field fence, tightening the Wolfpack’s lead to just one run.
“We didn’t catch the baseball,” Avent said. “Nothing went off track with Carlos, he threw a flat slider after we kicked the ball around. We didn’t play good defense in his first outing. This time we played terrible defense and probably cost him 20 pitches and a complete game.”
In the top of the ninth, senior pitcher D.J. Thomas came out of the bullpen to replace Rodon. Thomas threw two strike outs, but the Mountaineers would bring the tying run to second base. With a runner in scoring position and two outs, Avent tapped into his bullpen again, calling upon his other senior pitcher, Andrew Woeck. The right-hander would get junior first baseman Bradley Morton to fly out to seal the win for the Wolfpack.
“We’re not where we want to be right now,” Rodon said. “We’ll get there though.”
The Wolfpack faces the Mountaineers on Saturday in game two of the three-game series. Junior pitcher Logan Jernigan is projected to start on the mound for the Wolfpack, with the game slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Doak Field.
