NC State baseball defeated Florida State 5-4 on Sunday, April 16, successfully completing the sweep over an ACC opponent.
Junior pinch hitter Dominic Pilolli was undoubtedly the hero of the day, coming into the lineup in the bottom of the 10th inning and delivering a walk-off hit into deep center field to win the game for the red-and-white.
The Wolfpack (24-11, 8-9 ACC) came into the day riding high from impressive back-to-back wins over the Seminoles (13-21, 4-13 ACC). Until today, NC State had never swept Florida State in a three-game series in program history, making this a historic weekend.
Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Willadsen was the starting pitcher for the Pack. He has been a consistent arm in the rotation, and today was no different, throwing a solid 5.1 innings in which he only allowed six hits and three runs. Willadsen’s earned run average still sits below two for the season at 1.89.
Sophomore designated hitter Chase Nixon got the Wolfpack on the board in the first inning with a single that scored sophomore left fielder Will Marcy and junior third baseman LuJames Groover. Later, the Seminoles tied the game 2-2 in the sixth and took a one-run lead in the same inning.
Freshman first baseman Eli Serrano continued to show flashes of real power, cranking a solo shot over the right center field wall in the eighth inning to level the contest once more.
The crowd held its breath when Cam Smith of Florida State crushed a home run in the top of the 10th inning. Smith’s solo dinger put the Pack down one run heading into the bottom of the frame.
In the bottom of the 10th, graduate right fielder Trevor Candelaria stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded. He worked himself into a 3-1 count and drew a walk in an impressive at-bat, scoring junior left fielder Carter Trice and equalizing the game once more.
Pilolli capped off an electric weekend of baseball by sending a fly ball to the warning track in center field. It was simply too deep for the Florida State center fielder to track and allowed Groover to score the winning run, a storybook ending at the Doak for NC State’s first ACC series sweep of the 2023 campaign.
In addition to Pilolli’s clutch hit, Nixon, Serrano, Marcy and Groover each recorded two hits on the day to lead the Wolfpack offense.
Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Baker Nelson was credited with the win today for the Wolfpack on the mound, while Brandon Walker was the losing arm for the Seminoles. Nelson notched his fifth win of the season and has carved out a role at the top of NC State’s rotation.
NC State returns to action on Tuesday, April 18 as the team travels to the Queen City. Davidson will host the red-and-white at Truist Field with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
