Head coach Elliott Avent secured his 1,000th win with the Wolfpack as it defeated the VCU Rams 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at Doak Field. Avent is one of the five current coaches to have achieved this mark.
“I mean this win is special, but not for maybe what some people may think…” Avent said. “It’s who made the 1,000 wins, the players who made those 1,000 wins.”
While NC State baseball (2-1) wasted little time getting settled in offensively, it was the Pack’s pitching that stole the show. With freshman left-handed pitcher Ryan Marohn on the mound, the Pack continually found ways to stifle VCU (1-2). He pitched five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts while only allowing five batters to reach base. In the fifth inning, the Rams made some noise and loaded the bases. However, Marohn regrouped and forced an end to the inning to keep VCU scoreless.
“I think Coach Avent has his trust in me and I have my full trust in him…” Marohn said. “…so him giving me the ball on this day was really special. So I’m really thankful for him giving me this opportunity.”
The offense for the Pack got going quickly in the second inning as graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz earned a walk. He quickly advanced to third via a single from redshirt freshman designated hitter Drew Lanphere. A few batters later, he reached home as sophomore left fielder Josh Hogue grounded out to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.
NC State continued to build momentum in the third inning as both graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington singled and Lanphere reached on an error. It quickly added to its score as Hogue and freshman second baseman Luke Nixon each drove in a runner to bring the score to 3-0.
The offensive production resumed in the fifth inning as Lanphere continued his strong performance, tallying his second RBI, driving in junior catcher Jacob Cozart. The Pack tacked on another run in the sixth inning as Makarewicz hit into a bases-loaded fielder’s choice to bring home a run to give the Pack five runs.
That was ultimately the last of the Pack’s offensive production as VCU grabbed some momentum. In the top of the sixth, the Rams got on the board — Ethan Iannuzzi started a strong performance for VCU as he grounded out into an RBI to bring home one runner to make the score 5-1.
In the following inning, the Rams picked up where they left off as their lead-off batter drilled a solo home run to further cut the score. This prompted a pitching change as freshman right-handed pitcher Jaxon Lucas entered the game. He was instrumental in helping cool off the Rams over the next 1.2 innings with three strikeouts. However, VCU regained energy as Iannuzzi powered a solo shot to pull the deficit to within two at the top of the eighth.
This once again prompted a pitching change as the Pack turned to another freshman in right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan. His efforts proved crucial in helping limit any further damage and keeping the Rams at bay.
In a monumental win for Avent and the team, all eyes are now turned on its next test as it prepares to make a long journey to take on Hawaii.
Wolfpack Baseball will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 23 as it takes on the University of Hawaii. First pitch is slated for 11:35 p.m.
