To circumvent the bad weather conditions on Saturday, NC State and Boston College agreed to play a Friday evening double-header which saw the Wolfpack take home two victories to open up ACC play for the 2024 season. Winning 5-4 and 9-1, the Pack squeaked out a win with a walk-off in the 11th inning but handled business in the follow-up thanks in part to a seven-run sixth inning.
The No. 14 Wolfpack’s (11-2, 2-0 ACC) offense was either on or off in both double-header games. In each contest, most of its runs came in just a single inning. NC State had both starting pitchers get into the 90s for the pitch count and both redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Logan Whitaker and graduate right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill delivered.
Game one
It took until the third inning for either team to get on the board, and it was the Pack who crossed home plate first. The first couple innings consisted of Whitaker and Boston College’s John West going toe-to-toe.
Both players pitched 5 or more innings and got their pitch count above 90 as the managers leaned on them so they didn’t have to dig into the bullpen too early. In 5.2 innings pitched, Whitaker earned a career-best nine strikeouts, while in 6.1 innings West earned himself 5 Ks.
Although West pitched well, two costly mistakes in the bottom of the third gave the red-and-white its first scores of the evening. After giving up a single to sophomore center fielder Eli Serrano, a “wild West pitch” advanced Serrano to scoring position. Graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington then ripped a double to right field, bringing Serrano home.
After walking junior catcher Jacob Cozart on four straight balls, West hung a ball over the middle of the plate, and ACC Player of the Week graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz sent one 422 feet to center field for his 27th RBI of the season. In the blink of an eye, the Pack jumped out to a 4-0 lead in its first ACC matchup of the season.
In the fourth and fifth innings, Whitaker went three-up and three-down but 90 plus pitches in, he put the Pack in a tough position. After forcing a groundout and striking out another batter, Whitaker loaded the bases and forced a pitching change in the sixth inning.
Out came freshman right-handed pitcher Jaxon Lucas; however, his night didn’t last very long. With bases loaded on the first two batters faced, the freshman gave up two singles which brought in three runners and cut the lead to one. NC State was forced to make a second pitching change to get out of the inning.
At the top of the eighth, the Pack found itself with the bases loaded again but this time with just one out on the board. Due to a throwing error and another single given up, the game was tied at 4-4 and the Pack had to make another pitching change, this time bringing in freshman right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan.
With the bases loaded, the Pack9 escaped the inning on a double-play, leaving three runners stranded on base. For the rest of the game, Dudan shut down the Eagles in 3.2 innings pitched, he gave up zero hits and earned four strikeouts. The first-year pitcher looked poised on the mound as Boston College struggled to get solid contact on his high fastball.
It took an extra two innings for the opening match to find a winner and after senior right fielder Noah Soles used his elite base-running speed to earn a triple, Pennington walked it off. On a single right up the middle, Pennington brought Soles in. Within a couple of hours, the graduate transfer opened the scoring and closed it.
Although Pennington’s two RBIs will get most of the shine, his fielding at first base saved NC State just as often. Multiple times he was forced to fully stretch to secure an out with just his toe on the bag and keep Boston College hit total in the single digits.
Game two
Pennington started the last game, ended the last game and started game two with an RBI, this time an RBI single to left field. With the single, Pennington brought home Soles who was walked on a full count and got into scoring position thanks to a Serrano groundout.
Similar to the first game, it was a pitching duel to start with Highfill and Boston College’s A.J. Colarusso on the mound. Although Colarusso pitched one more inning, Highfill often found himself getting behind in the count and had to throw significantly more pitches.
Highfill’s only run given up came in the top of the third inning when Eagles’ second baseman Nick Wang homered to center field to tie the game at one. Highfill finished his day in the fifth inning with seven strikeouts and only giving up two hits.
The sixth inning is where the bats caught fire for NC State, totaling seven runs on six hits. Through a combination of four singles, two doubles and an error the Wolfpack turned the game on its head in half an inning and pretty much clinched the series right then.
The Pack went through the entire lineup and then some in the bottom of the sixth. Everybody was having success getting the ball in play in right field, finding a weakness in the Eagles’ defense and bullpen.
The scoring came to a close when freshman pinch hitter and second baseman Luke Nixon hit a ball up the middle for his third RBI of the game.
NC State will play the last game in the series versus Boston College on Sunday, March 10, with the first pitch at 11 a.m.
