Powered by three home runs, the NC State baseball team defeated East Carolina 12-3 on Tuesday, April 26 inside Doak Field at Dail Park.
Senior center fielder Devonte Brown (3-5, RBI, HR) and freshman third baseman Tommy White (3-4, 3 RBI, 2B, HR) put on a batting clinic, notching six combined hits, four RBIs and two home runs. White’s home run was his 19th on the season.
Sophomores first baseman LuJames Groover III (2-5, 2B) and right fielder Noah Soles (2-5, 2B, SB) also had multi-hit performances, with Groover recording eight putouts on the defensive end, topped only by freshman catcher Jacob Cozart (1-4, RBI), whose 12 putouts were tied for his third-highest mark on the season.
Junior right-handed pitcher Baker Nelson (2 IP, 2 H, 5 K, ER) was credited with the win, moving to 2-1 on the season, after pitching five strikeouts to 10 batters faced. Sophomore righty Garrett Payne (4 IP, 7 H, 3 K, 2 ER) started on the mound for the Wolfpack but allowed seven hits and two of ECU’s three runs, extending a rough three-game stretch for the starter.
Despite the blowout, ECU got on the scoreboard first, after Cam Clonch singled to right field, scoring Zach Agnos in the top of the first. However, it didn’t take long for the Wolfpack to answer back, recording four hits in the bottom of the first and making it a 3-1 game from the jump.
Brown kicked things off for NC State with a home run on the first Wolfpack at-bat. From there, Groover and White hit a double and single, respectively, before redshirt junior shortstop Josh Hood (1-4, 5 RBI, HR) flew out and scored Groover. After that, senior second baseman J.T. Jarrett (0-4) drove in White.
NC State tacked on a couple more runs in the bottom of the second after White doubled to left field, scoring Brown and Cozart. White’s continuing to heat up again after a slower start to ACC play following his monstrous early-season play. With 19 home runs and 14 games left in the regular season, White is just six home runs away from tying NC State’s all-time record.
ECU tried clawing back into things with scores in the third and sixth inning, but White picked up his home run in the seventh, keeping the Pirates at bay.
Then, in the bottom of the eighth, NC State exploded offensively. Sophomore left fielder Dominic Pilolli (0-1, 3 BB, 2 SB) scored, bringing NC State up 8-3, before Hood notched a home run of his own with two outs and the bases loaded, bringing White, Groover and Cozart in for scores. The Pack went on to win 12-3.
However, it wasn’t all good news for the Wolfpack. After the game, head coach Elliott Avent told reporters that sophomore pitcher/infielder Sam Highfill, who has been nursing an injury since early April, is out for the rest of the season.
Next up, NC State begins a weekend series at home against a 13-27 Radford team beginning on Friday, April 29, and going through Sunday, May 1. All three games can be viewed on ACC Network Extra. First pitch for the series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
