NC State baseball defeated UNC-Greensboro 15-13 in a barn burner on Tuesday, March 7.
The Wolfpack (13-0) outlasted the Spartans (7-6) on the road at UNCG Baseball Stadium in a game that saw each team record 13 hits.
With the game tied up 2-2 after the first inning, the Pack got hot in the second, putting up eight runs to go up 10-2. Even that lead was not safe, however, as UNCG would catch up by the end of the fifth inning. With a 10-10 tie, the Pack would take the lead a few more times only to be matched quickly by the Spartans.
Tied 13-13 with two outs in the top of the ninth, junior third baseman LuJames Groover came in clutch and gave the Wolfpack the lead with an RBI single that drove in junior outfielder Noah Soles. Later in the same frame, junior left fielder Carter Trice added one more run to the board with an RBI single that scored Groover. Those two runs proved to be the difference as NC State closed it out in the bottom of the ninth.
There were almost 30 runs total in this game as both teams put on an impressive offensive showing.
Junior second baseman Kalae Harrison had a great day in the leadoff spot, totaling three hits, including a triple. He also added an RBI to his already impressive offensive day. Graduate outfielder Trevor Candelaria tied Harrison for the team lead in hits with three, including a deep ball to left field in the first inning.
Sophomore shortstop Payton Green had a dinger as well, his seventh of the year, and knocked in four RBIs, accounting for more than a quarter of the team’s runs.
Junior right-handed pitcher Justin Lawson was credited with the win in Greensboro, moving him to 2-0 on the year. The unsung hero on the mound, however, was freshman righty Andrew Shaffner, who only allowed one run in three innings. It was a solid relief effort as Shaffner also sat down five Spartans by way of the strikeout.
The undefeated Wolfpack returns to action this weekend as the team travels to face the Miami Hurricanes. The series is set to begin Friday, March 10 with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
