After a long winter’s nap, the bats came alive in the season opener for the N.C. State Wolfpack. The team had a historic weekend offensively as it combined to score 65 runs in a three-game sweep of La Salle University. The Pack’s 65 runs was the most it has ever scored in a three-game series. The previous record of 61 was set in 2002.
“It felt good to come out and beat up on somebody,” sophomore catcher Pratt Maynard said. “Last year we were taking a lot of those beatings so to come out and beat up on someone else felt good. We took some pressure off of our back and started off 3-0, so it feels good.”
The team dominated the first two games of the series, 32-3 and 18-3. The Pack played a closer game in the finale but was able to escape with the series sweep as it won, 15-9. Vance Williams was the pitcher on record picking up his first win of the season while junior pitcher Russell Wilson made his State pitching debut, finishing the game pitching two innings of two hit ball.
“It was good, we got a lot of work in and won three games,” coach Elliot Avent said. “They had the confidence to handle a team pretty well the first two days. They they came out and got three runs in the first, and they didn’t panic. We battled all day and got the win.”
La Salle jumped out to an early lead against the Pack and starting pitcher Danny Healey as the Navigators took a 3-0 lead in the first when the first three batters managed hits against Healey. However, the freshman was able to limit the damage at three and pitched his way out of trouble in the first.
Healey finished the game, giving up only three runs in one and two-thirds innings pitched. It was his first career start.
The Pack responded in the second inning and cut the lead down to one with back-to-back RBI hits by senior second baseman Dallas Poulk and freshman shortstop Matt Bergquist. State then took the lead in the third when sophomore left fielder John Gianis hit a RBI triple, bringing the score to 5-3.
“We took advantage of their pitching. We had good people at bats,” sophomore Andrew Ciencin said. “We answered back to them really well. They put up three runs in the first and we answered back with five. Our answering back every inning was big for us.”
The Navigators tied the game back up in the top of the forth, but senior center fielder Kyle Wilson gave the Pack the lead again when he drilled a solo home run over the left field wall to make the score 6-5. The Pack added four more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Poulk hit another RBI double, scoring freshman Terran Senay.
La Salle tried to make a comeback when it cut into the Pack’s lead, but it was in the bottom of the seventh. La Salle pitcher Kevin Fuqua loaded the bases and then gave up a double to senior right fielder Drew Poulk, which scored two runs and broke the game open.
Freshman Danny Canela, Senay and Bergquist had excellent college debuts as the three freshmen combined for 13 hits, 14 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
“1-9 we had quality at bats,” Ciencin said. “They took their walks, waiting for their pitch and when the ball was in the zone they drove it into the gap. That is all you can ask for from opening weekend.”
The Pack broke several other offensive records in this series as the team broke a 26-year-old record for runs in a game. It also set a marker for margin of victory, which was also achieved in Friday’s game.
The team hopes it can build on its offensive onslaught and gain some momentum as it prepares for Campbell University on Tuesday.
“We are trying to take it one game at a time,” Dallas Poulk said. “It doesn’t matter who we are playing. We are just trying to have the right mind set going into each game and not take a game for granted.”
