NC State baseball won both games in a doubleheader day against Walters State on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Pack9 squad rallied late and won the first game 13-4. In game two, the Wolfpack eked out a 7-6 win off of a walk-off double by sophomore center fielder Andrew Shaffner. 

“It’s good to get out there and bounce around,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “Walters State is really good, you saw some of the arms they put out there.” 

The red-and-white opened up the scoring in game one when freshman left fielder Luke Nixon scored on a bad throwdown from the Senators’ catcher. The Pack9 notched the game’s first hit and extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning when graduate designated hitter Alec Makarewicz hit a two-RBI single that ricocheted off  the pitcher’s leg. The Wolfpack then scored a fourth run when junior catcher Jacob Cozart hit a double, scoring freshman catcher Alex Sosa. 

Despite the offensive explosion in the fourth inning, the Pack’s lead was quickly erased when Walters State belted a grand slam over the right field wall to tie the game at four. The Senators loaded the bases when freshman left-handed pitcher Cooper Consiglio walked a pair and hit a batter, setting Walters State up for a grand slam that also marked its first hit of the contest. 

“I think Cooper Consiglio has a chance to be really, really good.” Avent said. “He probably had his worst outing since he’s been here”. 

The Pack9 squad responded well to the sudden change in the lead — graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington smashed a two-run homer well over the left field wall, putting the Pack up 6-4. Later in the inning, Nixon stung a two-RBI single to right field to extend the lead to 10-4. The Pennington blast not only highlighted the six-run sixth, but also put the red-and-white up for good. 

“Feeling good, but we got to get there as a team,” Pennington said. “Once we all start swinging it, we will be a really good team.” 

 Throughout the day, Avent prioritized getting his young pitchers in the game. Two true freshman pitchers came in relief in game one while three were brought in to pitch in game two after freshman right-handed pitcher Chance Mako started on the bump.

Despite the young pitching talent that the Pack9 brought in the game, the freshman group struggled as a whole to find consistency versus Walters State. The pitchers combined for seven innings of work and issued 12 free passes and gave up nine runs, seven of which came off two different Senators home runs. . 

“There was a lack of focus tonight, in my opinion,” Avent said. “We walked everybody and made errors … I have no idea how many people we walked. I know it was atrocious.”

Even though it was a down night for the pitchers in red-and-white, the Wolfpack saw a strong performance from the graduate right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill. He started the first game and completed two innings, sitting down all six batters he faced while punching out four. 

“[Highfill] looked like his old self,” Avent said. “He just goes about his business. So it’s good to see him out there.”

The Pack9 squad does not currently have another exhibition scheduled and will spend the rest of the fall continuing to prepare for the spring season. 

“It’s World Series or go home…that’s our expectation,” Pennington said. “That’s what we’re trying for so that’s how all the guys feel here.”