NC State baseball secured a hard-fought win over the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Tuesday, March 21 by a score of 11-8.
Over the course of the game, it was evident that offense was not a premium. Every time one team seemingly made strides towards putting the game away, the other would push back. Even though the game was eventually decided in extra innings, the bats of NC State (16-5) came to life to earn the victory. This marked the second-straight game where NC State won at the very end.
After a rather quiet first inning, the scoring began in the top of the second inning. After two quick outs, graduate center fielder Parker Nolan hit a single that drove in sophomore right fielder Will Marcy to get the Pack on the board and advance another runner. A subsequent hit loaded the bases for junior third baseman LuJames Groover, who drew a walk to bring another run across and make the score 2-0.
The action continued in the bottom of the fourth as the Seahawks got on the board. With two runners aboard, John Newton smacked a double to bring home both and even the score.
The game did not stay tied for long, however, as Groover returned to the plate in the fifth inning. After having not hit a homer in almost three weeks, he drilled a solo shot to give the Pack the lead once more. Shortly after, the Pack continued to get on base with a pair of walks and a single, loading the bases once more. Sophomore left fielder Chase Nixon came to the plate and drew another walk, bringing another run across.
The scoring continued in the bottom of the fifth as Bryan Arendt smoked a triple for the Seahawks and was immediately driven in by Taber Mongero. The very next at-bat saw Mongero reach home plate as well with Brock Wills continuing the Seahawks’ success at the plate. At the end of the inning, the score sat deadlocked at 4-4.
The sixth inning saw yet another lead change as Wills and Dillon Lifrieri each pounded RBI singles, giving the Seahawks a 6-4 advantage.
As the seventh inning rolled around, it was obvious that the Pack came to the plate with a sense of urgency with two men quickly getting on base. This led to Marcy hitting another single, scoring sophomore shortstop Payton Green. In the next at-bat, a wild pitch not only allowed Marcy to advance another base but also helped bring in freshman first baseman Eli Serrano. Even after tying the game, the Pack had more in store as junior second baseman Kalae Harrison drove in two more runs to give NC State a two-run lead.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, UNCW stood with its backs to the wall facing a two-run deficit. However, the Seahawks did not seem bothered as Wills continued his monster day with a two-run RBI single to force the game into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th inning, the Pack showed that it still had some fight left in it. With two men on, freshman designated hitter Cannon Peebles hit into a fielder’s choice to help advance Harrison to third. However, due to a fielding error, he was able to score. After a quick pitching change by UNCW, sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart lined a single to bring home Peebles. The runs continued as Green also racked up a single to bring home Cozart. This put the lead at 11-8 — the final score of the contest.
On the other side of the field, NC State’s pitching certainly had its hands full for the majority of the night. Starting on the mound was junior left-handed pitcher P.J. Labriola. After putting forth three scoreless innings, he began to face trouble in the fourth as he allowed two runs. Despite only playing 3.2 innings, he did have four strikeouts as he was able to largely limit the Seahawks early.
Over the course of the next 1.2 innings, the Pack used three more pitchers in an effort to slow down UNCW, who was able to push four more runs across. In response, the Pack turned to junior left-hander John Miralia and senior right-hander Baker Nelson, who combined for the next 2.2 innings and prevented any more runs while tossing three combined strikeouts. In the remaining two innings, junior right-hander Justin Lawson helped finish the game with an impressive five strikeouts despite allowing two late runs that forced extra innings.
Throughout the game, the offensive performance of both NC State and UNCW was on full display, and opposing pitching certainly had their hands full as both teams collectively went through 14 different pitchers. Despite having to trade blows with the Seahawks for the better part of the game, the Pack was eventually able to pull away in the 10th inning.
The Pack will continue its road trip as it travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to take on Boston College Friday, March 24. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. and it will be televised on ACC Network Extra.
