With a single swing, NC State baseball turned around its weekend and clinched a critical series win. Barreling a three-run homer past left field, junior designated hitter Josh Hogue secured a 9-8 victory over Virginia Sunday evening at Doak Field.
“All wins are big,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “I think even if let’s say that last ball didn’t go out, let’s say the wind held it and it caught the wall, I think what it showed our team was you’re never out of a game.”
The Wolfpack (21-11, 7-5 ACC) proved Avent’s words with a stunning comeback over Virginia (17-13, 7-8 ACC). Trailing by as many as six, the red-and-white fought and clawed its way up till it was in striking distance. Down 8-6 in the bottom of the ninth, the Pack’s first two batters struck out.
Down to potentially its final out, redshirt sophomore pinch hitter Drew Lanphere kept hope alive with a single. Then freshman centerfielder Ty Head walked, and Hogue stepped to the plate for the biggest at bat of the season. Hogue left no doubt, sending the ball out of Doak Field to secure the improbable comeback and series win.
“I’m not a huge rah rah guy, but I mean you can’t really describe it,” Hogue said. “It’s like no other — hitting a walk off. … We don’t quit. We play until it’s over, so that’s the goal and mentality, and it showed today.”
The Wolfpack flirted with danger all afternoon, allowing Virginia to build a daunting 8-2 lead in the seventh. With only one hit through six innings, the Pack looked dead in the water — until it loaded the bases with Lanphere at the plate. With Avent scrambling to find offense, working through several pinch hitters, Lanphere found the bat in his hands with the bases juiced. The sophomore took full advantage and blasted a grand slam, bringing the Wolfpack to life and cutting the deficit to 8-6.
“I heard the dug out and the crowd get going,” Lanphere said. “So I kinda thought we might win this game now.”
To start the game in the first, after senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio’s two-run home run, the Pack offense was wholly ineffective. Sixteen of the next 18 batters were retired and recorded no hits. Coupled with a poor offensive effort was a porous defense in the field. In the first at bat of the game, sophomore left fielder Jet Gilliam misplayed a line drive to allow a double. In the sixth inning, two runs scored on a throwing error from sophomore second baseman Luke Nixon in a run down.
While the offense struggled, the pitching staff kept the Pack within reach. Sophomore starting pitcher Ryan Marohn did not have his best stuff, giving up four runs in five innings. But he kept the Virginia offense at bay. Freshman reliever Anderson Nance threw two innings after Marohn and gave up two runs on four hits.
With the offense stagnant, freshman reliever Tristan Potts and sophomore reliever Jacob Dudan kept the Cavaliers off the board in the final two innings, allowing the offense to wake up and load the cannons with two big booms.
“Tristan Potts, he’s that guy,” Avent said. “He comes to practice every day and has a blast. Hasn’t pitched much all year, but he’s starting to get a little time right now. … and we keep giving Potts the ball. He keeps going out there like he’s in his backyard, just having fun.”
Also keeping the Pack in the game was freshman left fielder Ryder Woodson, who made a diving catch in the eighth to save an extra-base hit.
“That was the play of the game to me,” Avent said. “If he doesn’t make that play, we may not have a chance to come back.”
Next up, NC State will visit East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina, for a midweek matchup. First pitch between the Pack and the Pirates is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
