Continuing its torrid streak, the NC State baseball team swept Pittsburgh in a conference series tilt over the weekend.
The Wolfpack (31-21, 14-13 ACC) has now won 11 out of its last 12 contests and earned its first road series victory of the season. The Panthers fall to 22-26 on the season and are now just 8-19 in ACC play.
The sweep pushes the Pack back into the NCAA Tournament picture after an inconsistent start to the season.
In game one of the series, head coach Elliott Avent elected to go with redshirt senior Johnny Piedmonte on the mound, which proved to be a wise decision, as the righthander has forced himself into the weekend rotation after starting off the season in the bullpen and making weekday starts.
The Wolfpack jumped out to a 7-0 lead by the fourth inning and never looked back. The offense was led by freshman second baseman Will Wilson, who went 2 for 4 while launching his fifth home run of the season and racking up three RBIs. Junior catcher Andy Cosgrove also added a home run of his own.
Piedmonte went 7.2 innings, giving up just six hits while allowing no earned runs. The Panthers would add three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth, but the Wolfpack held on to take the first contest 7-4.
Junior lefthander Brian Brown got the start in the second matchup. In a similar fashion to the first game, the Pack earned an early lead, as it was up 7-1 after the second inning. Junior first baseman Stephen Pitarra was a major contributor, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and a walk. Freshman Brad Debo, who has been a critical part of the NC State offense all season, tallied a 3-for-4 day with three RBIs.
Brown struggled somewhat on the mound, but gave the Wolfpack seven solid innings, surrendering six runs (five earned) and 10 hits on the day.
Despite a four-run eighth inning by Pitt, the Pack held on to win, 8-6.
The third game started off much like the first two contests. The Pack, already having clinched the series, was up 10-0 by the conclusion of the third frame, thanks to a seven-run third inning.
The beneficiary of the massive run support was freshman Michael Bienlien. The righthander went four innings, surrendering five hits and five runs (three earned) and was credited with the win.
After racking up a 10-0 lead, the Panthers fought back, scoring four runs in the fifth and adding another in the sixth, but the onslaught of Wolfpack offense proved too much. NC State came away with a 14-6 victory and a sweep of the Panthers.
The Pack did not trail for the entirety of the series, and while the bullpen may have been shaky, Avent’s squad leaves Pittsburgh with a much-needed sweep over a conference opponent.
The Pack will look to continue its hot streak when it takes on Clemson at Doak Field for its final conference series matchup of the year. The games will be played at 6 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday, and 1 p.m. Saturday.
