After putting up 10 runs yesterday against Ball State, No. 21 NC State baseball continued its offensive assault with nine runs on 11 hits for a 9-3 win. The victory gives the Wolfpack a series win over the Cardinals and a chance for the sweep on Sunday afternoon.
Even though NC State’s offense produced it didn’t need much with sophomore left-handed pitcher Dominic Fritton on the mound. Fritton gave up just one run on four hits in 5.2 innings of work.
The preseason All-American has rebounded after a rough start to the season where he gave up four runs or more five times in his first six starts. In his last three starts, he has given up a combined five runs and all three have been NC State wins.
Fritton didn’t have his best stuff though. He had to throw a career-high 106 pitches because his control of the zone was sporadic and he gave up solid contact that got caught by his defense. But when he had to get outs, the lefty calmy forced weak contact or threw a strikeout to silence the Ball State batters.
“I didn’t feel as sharp as I’ve been in the first part of the game,” Fritton said. “But I found my changeup to be helping me out, and it was a big pitch for me to get out early and get some swing and misses when I needed it. And then later on, I was able to kind of locate my fastball a little bit better.”
Junior catcher Jacob Cozart was the other Wolfpack player to be named a preseason All-American and he too struggled at the beginning of the season with his bat. In the middle of the year, Cozart went 15 straight games without a home run but since he broke that streak, he has been on a power surge.
In the bottom of the third inning, Cozart crushed a 411-foot home run to right field for his fifth home run in the last six games. The third-inning blast set a career-high for homers in a season for Cozart as he’s finding his groove at just the right time.
Cozart’s streak started against UNC-Chapel Hill and so did junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth’s. Butterworth’s iconic walk-off home run against the Tar Heels provided the shortstop an offensive spark. He collected three hits and two runs against the Cardinals and since his walk-off, Butterworth has had three multi-hit games after having just four prior.
It wasn’t all good for the Wolfpack though. Sophomore center fielder Eli Serrano III and sophomore right fielder Josh Hogue collided going for a fly ball in the top of the seventh inning. Both were slow to get up, and Hogue had to be carted off the field while Serrano stayed in.
Head coach Elliott Avent was visibly distraught discussing what happened to Hogue after the game.
“All we can think about is Hogue right now,” Avent said. “I know how I felt when he went out. I know how I felt the rest of the game. I know where my mind drifted a lot so for them to finish the game, I commend them for that.”
Hogue’s injury adds to the list of players that have gone down this season. Senior right-handed pitcher Matt Willadsen was lost before the season began, redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Logan Whitaker has missed an extended amount of time, as well as senior outfielder Noah Soles.
It seems like the Wolfpack can’t catch a break with injuries, and the entire team is feeling that.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen this many injuries and they just keep fighting,” Avent said. “They love each other, and you got to find a way to channel that hurt and channel that feeling … to make you as good as you can be.
After Fritton was taken off the mound, NC State used two pitchers and they combined for one earned run. The bullpen has been a thorn in the side of the Wolfpack, but it has performed well as of late in helping NC State win its last three series.
With its offense and pitching both clicking, the Wolfpack will go for the series sweep on Sunday, April 28. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
