While the rest of N.C. State’s students were off on vacation, the Wolfpack baseball team stayed busy, playing eight games during the break. But after losing four of its first five games since spring break started, the Pack bounced back and picked up its first ACC series win of the season as it took down the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem.
“It is really big win,” senior right fielder Drew Poulk said. “After getting swept at Clemson it was really big coming out last night and getting a big win and then come out here knowing they were going to want to get after us today.”
After beating up on the Deacons in the first game of the series in a 17-6 win, the Pack had a tougher game Saturday, but the team was able to escape with a 5-3 victory. Sophomore starting pitcher Corey Mazzoni (3-1) picked up the win for the Pack and Tim Cooney was credited with the loss, while freshman Felix Roque notched his first career save closing out the final two innings.
State could not complete the sweep however, as it fell 4-3 to the Deacons in 10 innings on Sunday. With the two wins over the weekend, the team moves to 14-6 (2-4 in ACC.)
Mazzoni had one of his best performances of his career on the mound Saturday. The sophomore picked up his first ACC win of the season, pitched seven strong innings for the Pack and limited the Demon Deacons to only three runs on four hits while striking out seven.
“I felt good today. I had all my pitches working and got into a little bit of a groove there. I gave up a couple homeruns on some mistakes but otherwise I felt good,” Mazzoni said. “I kept my pitch count low the whole game and coming out of the seventh inning I still felt like it was the second or third inning, stamina wise.”
The Demon Deacons struck first in the bottom of the first inning when center fielder Stephen Brooks launched a ball over the left field wall off of Mazzoni, giving the Deacons a 1-0 lead. However, the Pack tied it back up in the top of the second inning when redshirt junior catcher Chris Schaeffer drilled a solo opposite field home run, tying the game at one.
The Pack threatened to run away with it in the top of the fourth inning when it was able to load the bases after back-to-back singles by freshman Danny Canela and junior Russell Wilson and a walk by freshman Tarran Senay. But a diving stop by Wake second baseman Shane Kroker on a ball hit up the middle by freshman shortstop Chris Diaz ended the Deacons’ discomfort.
Wake retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carlos Lopez scored Brooks from third on a sacrifice fly. The lead was short-lived as the Pack answered in the top of the next inning and scored four runs. Two of them came off of the bat of senior right fielder Drew Poulk when he drove a ball deep into the left field trees.
Poulk, who had five hits in the series, credited his success to changes he has made at the plate, which he said helped him to see the ball a bit longer.
“I have tried to change a couple of things up the past couple of games,” Drew Poulk said. “The first 16 games I haven’t been seeing the ball as well. After talking with my coaches and my brother, I changed some things up, which has allowed me to slow some things down and see the ball longer.”
Mazzoni ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning when Pat Blair of the Deacons led the inning off with a home run, taking the score to 5-3. Mazzoni then walked back-to-back hitters, but was able to pitch out of trouble, limiting Wake to only one run.
“That guy had great stuff tonight,” coach Elliott Avent said. “He got out of the sixth with great stuff. He was in a jam with runners on second and third, but he made some great pitches and got out of it. Then in the seventh, he was lights out.”
The Wolfpack had a scary moment midway through the game when Mazzoni was struck in the hip by a ball of the bat of Wake hitter Mike Murray. But Mazzoni remained in the game and continued on the mound.
“It hurt a little bit,” Mazzoni said. “But it was numb for most of the game. It’s starting to tighten up now, though.”
