After getting swept by Clemson, NC State baseball defeated the No. 12 ECU Pirates in an in-state rivalry matchup at Doak Field. The Pack9 spread awareness for ALS, and honored the late Chris Combs by wearing number 26 in his honor. The ECU Pirates wore number 23 to honor the late Keith LeClair, who also battled ALS.
“East Carolina and NC State has been a classic battle,” head coach Elliot Avent said. “It’s a great rivalry and a good rivalry.”
The Pirates (29-12) had previously beaten the Pack (26-14) this season by a score of 12-9 in Greenville. ECU came swinging early, and runners in scoring position in the first inning, but was promptly sent back to the dugout after an over the shoulder catch by sophomore left fielder Will Marcy. The Pack stranded four runners to hold the Pirates scoreless before scoring five runs in the third inning.
The Pack recorded six total hits in the third, including a single from junior third baseman LuJames Groover III that extended his hitting streak to 13 games. He eventually scored off of a double by Marcy.
The Pirates elected to change pitchers after the Pack’s first two runs, hoping to stifle NC State’s rally. Graduate center fielder Trevor Candelaria greeted the new pitcher with a two-run homer to make the score 4-0 and record the first and only home run of the game.
“Candelaria has worked so hard in the last few weeks to get his swing back,” Avent said. “I thought he looked really, really good tonight.”
ECU recorded a second out shortly after, but the Wolfpack managed to score one more run off of a sacrifice steal before the inning ended. The lead was extended to five and the smart baserunning turned out to be a deciding factor in the game’s outcome.
Junior right hander Sam Highfill, who has not started a game in over a year, was given the starting nod against the highly-ranked Pirates. After missing the latter half of the 2022 season due to a back injury and only seeing relief duty up to this point, Highfill stepped into the starting role and excelled. He pitched four innings, allowing zero runs and three hits while recording three strikeouts.
The fifth inning saw junior left hander Rio Britton start on the mound. He allowed a pair of runs during his outing. First, an ECU runner chanced a flyball from third and scored on a muffed play at the plate and a couple plays later the Pack gave up a second run on a fielder’s choice. He also recorded four strikeouts during his two innings on the mound, ending his evening with the Pack up 5-2.
Junior right hander Justin Lawson started the seventh inning, but only recorded two outs after two runs were scored against him. Only one was an earned run after the Pack gave up the lone error in the game, putting two runners in scoring position. The final out of the seventh inning was recorded by junior left hander P.J. Labriola, who struckout a batter on four pitches.
Labriola recorded the first two outs of the eighth and was credited with the win, his third of the year. All three of his outs were strikeouts. Sophomore right hander Carson Kelly relieved Labriola and recorded the final out of the eighth before holding down the fort in an intense ninth inning.
“I thought Labriola was really good at a crucial time,” Avent said. “Obviously, Carson Kelly was just really, really good at the end.”
With one out, a runner in scoring position and the go-ahead on first, Kelly struck out the next batter for the second out and forced a flyout to right field, where Calendaria recorded the final out.
“[ECU] battled back and we knew what was gonna go down to the very end,” Kelly said. “We really got to hold on, that’s something we’ve kind of struggled with, but I think we’re going to start on a roll right here.”
The Wolfpack ended up stranding 10 ECU runners, preventing the Pirates from taking the lead. The Pack held on with decisive pitching and solid defense, the difference in an exciting game.
The Wolfpack will remain in Raleigh to play a three-game series against The Citadel, starting on April 28. The first game in the series will be Military Appreciation, honoring veterans and those who serve. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game can be found on ACC Network Extra.
Note from the writer: This will likely be my last article before I graduate and I would like to shout out my number one fan. Thank you to former New York Times sports editor and current grandfather, Raymond Corio, for reading all of my articles. Ray has been the biggest critic and supporter of my writing in the past four years, and it means the world to me to have your appreciation and support. It’s fitting that my last article is covering your favorite sport as well. Love you, Pepa. See you soon.
