No. 13 NC State baseball was coming off a sweep of Boston College where it scored 18 runs in its last game. Just a few days later, UNC-Greensboro upset the Wolfpack 18-3 in a midweek matchup at Doak Field.
It’s not the most shocking upset so far this season. The Spartans (9-7) upset then-ranked No. 1 Wake Forest just a few weeks ago and now found a way to cool off the usually hot bats of the Wolfpack (12-3,3-0 ACC) while jumping out to an early lead with big second and third innings.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Cooper Consiglio made his second start of the season and went three up, and three down in the first but it was all downhill after that. UNCG scored six runs in the second inning with five of them counting against Consiglio. The freshman gave up a three-run home run and had two wild pitches that turned into runs.
Despite giving up six runs in the second frame, NC State opted to stick with Consiglio in the third, and he gave up a home run to the first batter who just happened to be the older brother of junior catcher Jacob Cozart. After Caleb Cozart’s home run, Consiglio faced a few more batters before being replaced by freshman right-handed pitcher Jaxon Lucas.
Lucas didn’t fare much better as he allowed an RBI-double to the first batter he faced and gave up an RBI-single before getting out of the third inning. The Spartans shellshocked the Wolfpack, taking a 9-0 lead in just three innings.
While the Spartans’ bats were scorching hot, the Pack’s bats were colder than a polar bear’s toenails. When UNCG was putting nine runs on the board, NC State failed to record a hit in the first three innings.
The only success the Wolfpack offense had came in the fifth inning where it scored all three of its runs. Graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz continued his hot streak, driving in two of the runs with a double. Makarewicz entered the game first in the country in RBIs per game and second in total RBIs, and his bat stayed hot against the Spartans, accounting for half of the Pack’s hits.
After scoring nine runs in the second and third innings, UNCG failed to put a run on the board for the next five innings but came back alive in the ninth frame. The Spartans put an exclamation mark on their win, scoring nine runs in the final inning. The explosive inning was capped off by another home run from Caleb Cozart, this time of the grand slam variety.
By the end of the night, UNCG racked up 16 hits including three home runs, and forced NC State to use 10 pitchers.
While it can be seen as an off night for the Wolfpack bats, the pitching is a real concern in Raleigh. In back-to-back games, the Pack has allowed 16 runs in one game and 18 in this game. It’s already the third time NC State has allowed 10 runs in a game, and the bullpen has been shaky all season.
Next, the Wolfpack will have to reset as it travels to Atlanta, Georgia, for a three-game series against Georgia Tech. The first game of the series is Friday, March 15, at 6 p.m.
