It’s not often a team wins a series in the ACC and leaves the field on a sour note but that is exactly what happened for NC State baseball against Virginia Tech Saturday at Doak Field. After head coach Elliott Avent said Friday night’s game was the best the team has played all year, the Wolfpack won the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader 6-3 to win the series but were embarrassed in an attempt to sweep, losing 20-8 in a run-rule defeat.
“To win two out of three, it’s all about winning the series,” Avent said. “Every league in the country is about winning the series. If you win the series, you got a chance to go to Omaha. You got to congratulate our guys on what they did to win this series and then you got to just figure out why we weren’t able to play better in the third game with all the pitching that we had.”
In Game 1 on Friday, junior left-handed pitcher Dominic Fritton pitched a full game. In Game 2, the Wolfpack only used two pitchers to get through nine innings. NC State (14-6, 2-1 ACC) had well-rested arm talent for Game 3 against Virginia Tech (13-7, 2-4 ACC) yet none seemed to work.
“We got all our chips stacked up on the table and we lost them one by one,” Avent said. “We got to figure out if we’re mentally or physically tough enough to play three games in a row on a weekend like you have to.”
Game 2: NC State 6, VT 3
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Heath Andrews started the second game of the series and started efficiently. Andrews sent the Hokies three up, and three down in the first two innings with one strikeout.
Pounding the zone early, and getting outs on a small number of pitches, Andrews set the Wolfpack up to take the lead in the bottom of the second.
Stepping up to the plate with two outs and a runner on second, junior third baseman Matt Heavner sent the ball 363 feet to left field to make it a 2-0 game.
After the second inning, the momentum flipped as the Hokies incrementally clawed their way back into the game and the red-and-white fell behind. In the fourth through sixth innings, as Virginia Tech added a run each inning, NC State went three up, three down to find itself down 3-2.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Andrews’ only hits given up were solo shots to right field and in the sixth, two singles set up an RBI bunt that made it 3-2 and ended his day. Andrews allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched.
Heavner stopped the bleeding for the Pack in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice bunt that brought sophomore second baseman Luke Nixon across home to make it 3-3. Then, an inning later, the offense revived to win the series.
In the bottom of the eighth, two walks and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with sophomore right fielder Jet Gilliam at the plate with one out. Gilliam delivered, launching the ball to right center for a sacrifice fly to take a 4-3 lead.
Nixon sealed the deal when he launched a two-run homer over the right field wall for his third hit of the game.
“Today’s first game could have gone either way,” Avent said. “We fought, clawed, made some plays and did what you had to do and won that game.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Shaffner shut the Hokies out in the top of the ninth, striking out two batters and getting a ground out on the other. In 3.2 innings, Shaffner dealt. He gave up no runs on three hits and tallied five strikeouts. Earning the win, Shaffner improved to 3-0.
“[Shaffner] was lights out,” Avent said. “I kept seeing him run to the bullpen during that third game when we couldn’t get anybody out. I don’t know if he was trying to send a message to me — ‘I’ll go out there again’ — because he was lights out.”
Game 3: NC State 8, VT 20
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ryan Marohn started for the Wolfpack in the second game of the doubleheader. Marohn wasn’t hitting the zone against Virginia Tech’s first two batters but ended the top half of the first with a strikeout.
In the bottom of the first with runners on first and second, sophomore catcher Alex Sosa singled to right field to give the Pack a 1-0 lead going into the second inning.
Both teams performed remarkably well offensively in the second, scoring four runs each. The Hokies hit a home run their first at bat, which they added later on to, thanks to a second home run with runners on second and third.
NC State responded in the bottom of the frame when junior left fielder Josh Hogue singled out to right field, driving it two runs for the Wolfpack while the bases were loaded. NC State similarly scored its other two runs, thanks to a single that was hit scarily close to the Virginia Tech pitcher’s head from sophomore first baseman Chris McHugh and a single from Sosa.
NC State increased its lead to 6-4 in the third inning thanks to strong performances on offense and defense. A strikeout by Marohn, a fly out to the left field and a ground out to second base quickly closed the first half of the inning. A misthrow by Virginia Tech and a senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio triple to the left center of the ballpark led to another run for the Wolfpack.
An inning later, Virginia Tech answered with a quick score after a walk and two singles. With runners on first and second, senior left-handed pitcher Cooper Consiglio threw back-to-back wild pitches, which ended in another run for the Hokies.
The Wolfpack kept Virginia Tech from scoring in the fifth inning but didn’t capitalize on it when at bat, and both teams entered the sixth tied at 6-6.
NC State’s next inning was one to forget. Conceding 14 runs on eight hits, it looked like the Wolfpack could not strike Hokies out if their lives depended on it. Ten runs came with two outs.
Everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong. The Pack conceded home runs, walks, threw wild pitches, missed catches, were called for balks and saw 18 batters before they could get three outs. The epitome of its defensive struggles came when Virginia Tech’s center fielder Cam Pittman singled up the middle, ran all the bases thanks to a fielding error in center field and eventually joined his teammate at home plate for a two-RBI inside-the-park home run.
The Wolfpack had five different pitchers on the mound in the sixth and none of them were effective. Notable closer sophomore right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan loaded the bases on a walk and then walked another batter for a run before he was yanked.
Graduate right-handed pitcher Matt Willadsen couldn’t keep it under control either. A wild pitch allowed another Hokie run which was then followed up by a two-RBI single and a two-run home run.
“Nobody could find the strike zone, absolutely zero,” Avent said.
NC State eventually got out of the inning but only responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and entered the seventh down 12 with a Herculean effort needed to extend the game. Instead, both teams went three up, three down and the Pack was run-ruled 20-8.
The Wolfpack will have its first true road test next weekend against Pittsburgh but first, it will take on Davidson midweek on Tuesday.
“We’re excited about going there and playing in front of our fans in Kannapolis in that pro ballpark [against] a good Davidson team,” Avent said. “Then we hit the road against Pittsburgh and hope it’s not 35 degrees there and figure out how this team is going to play on the road.”
First pitch against the Wildcats is set for 6 p.m.
