NC State baseball went on the road to Wilmington and came back with a 14-4 victory on Tuesday night.
The Wolfpack (31-15) entered the game on a three-game skid, including a road sweep at Miami and a 6-4 loss to the Seahawks (26-22) last week.
At the end of the first inning, it looked as if the Seahawks would be triumphant again, taking a quick 3-0 lead. But before the ink could dry, NC State scored four runs in the second inning and did not slow down for the rest of the game.
There were several standouts at the plate for the red-and-white, but perhaps the biggest one was sophomore catcher Alex Sosa. Sosa recorded a team-high four hits as well as two RBI singles, which gave the Pack the lead in the second.
Another Wolfpack hitter that made a key play was sophomore second baseman Luke Nixon. Nixon hit a three-run homer in the second inning that tied the game, giving State momentum for the rest of the game. While Sosa and Nixon were easy standouts at hitting, the entire team contributed with the Pack totaling 14 hits.
The Wolfpack did not just succeed at the plate, but also at the pitchers’ mound, with Wilmington totaling only five hits. A big excitement for Pack fans in this game was the return of junior pitcher Shane Van Dam who had not pitched in 368 days due to an elbow injury. Van Dam allowed three runs on two hits in the first inning but settled in to retire the side in order in the second. Senior pitcher Carson Kelly and sophomore pitcher Jacob Dudan came in during later innings and helped close the game out for the Pack, as it was adding to its score at bat.
Kelly and Dudan both totaled three strikeouts and only gave up one hit each in their combined five innings. The entire pitching staff totaled nine strikeouts. The win snapped a three-game skid and showcased the Wolfpack’s depth on the mound. A strong Wolfpack bullpen that can come in and take care of business will pay dividends in the goals of a potential ACC Championship and road to Omaha.
The Wolfpack travels to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels on Thursday, May 8. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
