The NC State baseball team might be reaching its stride at just the right time. After securing a competitive ACC series against No. 22 Florida State, the Wolfpack (19-15, 7-8 ACC) thumped the UNC-Greensboro Spartans, 10-1, Tuesday evening at Doak Field behind a spectacular outing from behind the plate, totalling 14 hits on the night.
The Wolfpack received a concrete performance from redshirt senior pitcher Johnny Piedmonte (2-0, 2.33 ERA) during the mid-week contest. Piedmonte didn’t allow a hit until the seventh inning; he also tallied four strikeouts against the Spartans.
“I thought that was maybe the best game Johnny’s ever pitched since he’s been at NC State,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “… Tonight I thought Johnny Piedmonte was incredible.”
The Pack blew the game wide open in the bottom of the second. Sophomore outfielder Brett Kinneman blasted a shot deep to right field, a three-run homer, sending freshman designated hitter Brad Debo and junior third baseman Evan Mendoza home.
The Spartans’ woes continued in the third frame. Following a 6-4-3 double play, UNCG infielder Austin Dembler dove for an impressive fielding play, making the throw to first; however, first baseman Michael Goss fumbled the ball, allowing Debo to reach first and junior first baseman Stephen Pitarra to score, putting the Pack up 4-0.
Greensboro would escape trouble after walking junior shortstop Joe Dunand, loading the bases with two outs on the board. Kinneman grounded out to second, leaving three Wolfpack runners on base.
NC State continued to frustrate the Spartans in the bottom of the fourth. Following a Greensboro pitching change, freshman infielder Will Wilson perfectly placed a ball into left center for a two-run RBI single. Junior catcher Andy Cosgrove and junior outfielder Brock Deatherage reached home for the Wolfpack, making it a 6-0 game.
In the fifth inning, Dunand rocketed a pitch over the left field wall for a solo homerun, his team-leading 12th homer of the season. The ball never had a chance as the crowd and the outfield watched it sail toward Lee Residence Hall.
“Everybody right now is swinging the bat as well as they’ve swung it all year,” Avent said. “… It’s good. We’ve fought through a lot of injuries, a lot of adversity, tough scheduling, on the road a lot; we’re playing well.”
Later in the inning, Greensboro committed its first error of the contest as Spartan reliever Ben Kerner fumbled a Pitarra grounder, allowing him to reach first and Kinneman to score for an 8-0 lead.
The Spartans avoided the no-hitter in the seventh inning on a high chop over Piedmonte from outfielder Andrew Moritz. In the next at-bat, Goss sent Moritz home with an RBI-double to put the Spartans on the board, down 8-1.
“I didn’t think I had my best stuff of the year,” Piedmonte said. “That was a really good hitting team and I knew I had to locate my fastball. So, that was what I was really trying to do: get ahead early, locate my fastball and throw my breaking ball for strikes.”
Scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, the Pack returned to the scoreboard in the eighth inning off of an error from the Spartan infield on a grounder from junior outfielder Josh McLain, allowing Deatherage to reach home. Debo added on to the sizable lead, doubling down the right field line to send McLain home for a 10-1 lead.
Debo played lights out once again, batting 4 for 5 at the plate with two RBIs, and has had, at the very least, a noteworthy freshman season. The Durham native is the anchor for the NC State bats, leading the team in batting average at .380.
“I’m seeing the ball real well,” Debo said. “I’m really only swinging at stuff that I can drive. Although sometimes I don’t put the best swing on it, I’m still swinging at my pitch and the one that I can hit.”
NC State’s next contest is for bragging rights as the Wolfpack travels to UNC-Chapel Hill Friday for a monumental conference series against the Tar Heels. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
