Having given up just one run on six hits through seven innings, N.C. State looked like it was ready to cruise to its fourth straight victory against rival East Carolina. Wolfpack redshirt junior reliever Joey Cutler had retired the last six batters he faced striking out five of them. However, a two-run homer by ECU senior catcher Corey Kemp changed any thoughts the Pack may have had about securing an easy win.
Cutler came out and junior reliever Drew Taylor battled the Pack out of a dangerous eighth inning. Sophomore closer Jimmy Gillheeney took over in the ninth, striking out one and picking off ECU centerfielder Harrison Eldridge for the final out of the evening. The 4-3 win was State’s eighth in nine tries against the Pirates. It improves the Pack to 16-9 overall and drops the No. 24 Pirates to 18-8. Coach Elliott Avent said the ECU game is always a fun game to play.
“It’s a fun rivalry,” Avent said. “I think both teams get into it. The fans get into it. We’re an hour and a half apart. It’s not a hated rivalry. It’s just a good fun game for college baseball.”
The winning pitcher on the night was redshirt senior Eryk McConnell. McConnell, who pitched a heartbreaking 0-2 loss against Clemson two weekends ago, turned in his second solid start in a row. He earned the win on Tuesday night, pitching five innings and giving up just one run. Often working with men in scoring position, McConnell maintained the Pack’s lead by getting out of jams on several occasions.
“I was in quite a few jams,” McConnell said. “I was just throwing what coach called. I just had confidence in him. I was lucky enough tonight for the defense to pick me up. They made some good plays. I definitely give them credit tonight for getting me out of jams tonight.”
An unlikely hero for the Wolfpack on the offensive end was catcher Chris Schaeffer. Schaeffer, a redshirt freshman, would get a career high four hits and two runs on four at-bats. After entering the game barely hitting his weight with a .227 batting average, he would leave the game owning a healthy .292 batting average after collecting hits on all four of his batting attempts. Schaeffer said he had worked to correct his swing in practice this week.
“It felt pretty good,” Schaeffer said. “There is still a lot to do. This is only one game, but I was definitely seeing the ball good today. I worked on some things yesterday on my swing. It was just mental things, but I think it helped.”
Avent said it was Schaeffer’s performance behind the plate that mattered the most.
“He’s worked hard,” Avent said. “He’s only been here one semester for us. I would much rather talk about Schaeffer behind the plate. We’ve got to have good defense behind the plate and I thought he caught a good game. When you get offense from him, that’s a plus, but I’d much rather talk about what he does behind the plate.”
The Pack played in front of a packed Clark-LeClaire Stadium. 5,015 people braved threatening thunderstorms to watch the game. Schaeffer said it was a fun atmosphere to play in.
“I heard all about the rivalry between us and ECU,” Schaeffer said. “I think it’s pretty big for everybody. It’s definitely a fun place to play. The fans are yelling stuff at you. It’s always fun to play where the crowd hates the away team.”
