In a high-scoring affair, the NC State baseball team defeated Campbell 22-14, a 14-inning exhibition matchup Saturday afternoon at Doak Field.
In what was the second-to-last exhibition of fall practice for the team, head coach Elliott Avent and his staff got a chance to see what the upcoming season may hold for the Wolfpack.
“We’re trying to figure out where everybody can play and where they can contribute,” Avent said. “It gives you a chance to evaluate your ball club and figure out what we need to work on.”
The Wolfpack opened up the scoring in the first inning with a pair of hits and a sac fly. With junior shortstop Evan Mendoza on first, sophomore right fielder Brett Kinneman launched a triple off of the right field wall to score Mendoza. The next batter, freshman catcher Brad Debo lofted a sacrifice fly to drive in Kinneman.
The Pack struck again in the second on an RBI double by freshman third baseman Will Wilson. After tacking on an additional run in the third inning, NC State led Campbell 4-0 after three innings.
Junior righthander Tommy DeJuneas got the start for NC State, holding the Camels scoreless through three innings and escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third. Dejuneas ended with three strikeouts and two walks while surrendering just three hits.
Redshirt junior Cody Beckman took over in the fourth inning for DeJuneas.
The Wolfpack extended its lead on a weak grounder to the pitcher by Debo, allowing Mendoza to come home from third, making the score 5-0 over the Campbell.
Beckman ran into trouble in the sixth after tossing two scoreless frames prior. A slew of hits by Campbell and an error by junior second baseman Stephen Pitarra led to a four-run sixth inning for the Camels, cutting the Wolfpack lead to 5-4.
Beckman was replaced with two outs in the sixth inning, leaving with 2 ⅔ innings pitched and four runs allowed. Junior Nolan Clenney came on to replace Beckman and managed to escape the inning without allowing another run.
NC State answered with four runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth. Junior right fielder Brock Deatherage displayed his power with a three-run homerun to straightaway centerfield, putting the Wolfpack up 8-4. After adding another run, the scoreboard read 9-4 after six.
Continuing with the trend of scoring four runs per inning, the Camels managed to plate four more runs against Nolan Clenney in the top of the seventh, making the score 9-8.
NC State scored one run in the bottom of the seventh, but Campbell again logged four runs in the top of the eighth, making the score 12-10 in favor of the Camels and the third straight inning that they scored four runs.
The Wolfpack struck back in the bottom of the eighth with six runs, including a home run from Mendoza over the left field fence. The score was 16-12 in favor of the Pack after eight.
NC State finally managed to hold the Camels scoreless in the ninth while also scoring four runs of its own, pushing the score to 20-12.
After the two teams traded runs in the late innings, the final score read 22-14.
NC State’s offense was led by Evan Mendoza, who had multiple hits to go along with a home run, and Brett Kinneman, who logged two triples on the day. Freshman Will Wilson also had a stellar day at the plate, tallying five singles, a walk and a double in seven plate appearances.
“We got a great team this year,” Wilson said. “It’s going to be hard to beat us.”
NC State will conclude its fall schedule Sunday as the team takes on Elon at 1 p.m. at Doak Field.
