The NC State Wolfpack won the final game of its series against Radford 11-4, completing the series sweep over the Highlanders.
All series, the Pack put on impressive offensive performances and today was no different. The Pack9’s bats were led by redshirt junior shortstop Josh Hood, while a number of Wolfpack pitchers followed senior lefty Canaan Silver to secure the 11-4 win.
Hood wasted no time in starting his big day at the plate with a two-run homer over the left field wall in the first inning, giving NC State an early 2-0 lead. The senior would go on to record his second home run of the day in the fifth inning, crushing a ball to left field that scored another three for the Wolfpack. Hood’s five RBIs were a crucial part of the Pack’s strong offensive performance in the series finale.
With four home runs and eleven RBIs in this week alone, Hood’s bat has been on fire recently. After his home run today, Hood hit three home runs in his last four at bats and is now the third batter for NC State to reach double-digit home runs this season. Even though Hood batted in five runs all by himself today, the senior is still focused on putting in the work and improving as a team.
“We’re just constantly working, getting better,” said Hood. “We’re working on things so it’s good to see some of it paying off, but you know, it’s good to just put our heads down and keep working.”
After NC State shut out Radford in its series-clinching win on Saturday, April 30, the Pack put up another strong defensive performance against the Highlanders, largely due to a strong showing by Silver, who got the win. Head coach Elliott Avent praised his versatile starter, who NC State has used in many different situations so far this season.
“We could use him for anything,” said Avent. “When we keep him in the bullpen Friday and Saturday and he starts on Sunday, and we’ve done that before, he’s just that guy called MacGyver. He can do anything.”
Silver and the rest of the defense held the Highlanders scoreless through five as the senior recorded two strikeouts, six hits, one earned run and a walk. Even though NC State allowed 10 hits on the day, the damage was limited to four runs on the scoreboard as pitching and defense made important plays all day, including a stellar catch in the second inning from senior center fielder Devonte Brown.
NC State managed to add one run in both the third and fourth inning as the Pack pulled away from Radford. A sacrifice fly from sophomore first baseman LuJames Groover III in the third scored junior catcher Jacob Godman, while freshman designated hitter Will Marcy scored when sophomore right fielder Noah Soles was tagged out between first and second. NC State would go on to increase its lead to 8-0 once an RBI fielder’s choice from Groover III and Hood’s second home run came through on the scoreboard.
The seventh inning saw a pair of runs come across for NC State that increased its lead to 10-2 when Soles and freshman third baseman Payton Green secured RBIs, adding to NC State’s big lead. In the eighth, Brown scored from third on a wild pitch, finishing off the Pack’s scoring for the day at 11 runs.
After Silver’s start, a bevy of Wolfpack pitchers were brought in to finish the game. Sophomore righty Justin Lawson was brought in for Silver in the sixth and helped limit the damage dealt to two runs.
Sophomore righty Garrett Payne and redshirt junior righty Logan Adams entered in the seventh and eight innings, respectively, both helping to hold the Highlanders at two runs. Once Radford scored two in the eighth, sophomore lefty Chris Villaman entered with runners on second and third and secured the final out to end the frame. Villaman finished the game by putting away the last three batters in the ninth, securing the series sweep.
While NC State has performed well as of late, a trio of tough ACC series await the Pack to finish the season that are sure to provide a challenge before the postseason starts. However, Silver thinks that the squad is still working on improving in all aspects of its play, which is especially important considering its tough upcoming schedule.
“We’re getting better every week,” said Silver. “And I think that’s very important for us to do. There’s still some improvement that we can do, but I think that everybody sees their improvement each week as we go along. And I think that’s really important and it’s just going to be big for us later on in the season.”
NC State will look to bring its explosive offense against its upcoming conference opponents, such as UNC, Duke and Wake Forest.
“The next nine games will be tough,” said Avent. “We put ourselves in a position to be ready for the postseason for the next nine games. They’re going to be really, really tough. Three really good teams. We talked about Carolina, a really good team, Duke and Wake Forest have been very consistent all year, so it’s gonna be a big challenge in the next three weeks.
The NC State Wolfpack is set to start its rivalry matchup against UNC at home on Friday, May 6, at 6 p.m.
