The NC State baseball team coasted to a 7-0 victory against East Carolina Tuesday afternoon at a misty Doak Field. The game was bumped from the original 6 p.m. start to a 3 p.m. start due to weather conditions predicted to deteriorate as the day progressed in Raleigh.
Six pitchers combined for the shutout win, which allowed the Wolfpack (6-3) to continue its undefeated home record (4-0), while the Pirates (5-5) dropped their first road game of the season.
“I thinks it’s good for these guys,” NC State head coach Elliott Avent said. “I think today is the best we have played all year.”
Redshirt sophomore Johnny Piedmonte got the start on the mound for the Pack after recording five strikeouts in three innings pitched going into the game.
Through the first two innings, the contest remained tied at zero, with the Pirates 2B Charlie Yorgen registering the only hit of the game at the time. The Wolfpack didn’t record its first hit until the third inning when senior center fielder Jake Fincher beat out a small roller in the infield; however, the Pirates saved a potential run and ended the inning by throwing him out at home plate.
Junior reliever Brad Stone replaced Piedmonte after three innings, with the latter registering two strikeouts and only surrendering two hits, but he wouldn’t last long as Avent brought in junior right-hander Curt Britt after Stone loaded the bases in the top of the fifth.
The South Carolina transfer dug the Wolfpack out of the scoring situation and registered two outs to end the inning and keep the score knotted at no runs apiece.
Despite the fact that the Pirates were getting on base, the Wolfpack defense locked down and forced zero hits on six at bats with runners in scoring position. The Pirates continued to struggle, going 0-9 with RISP and 1-11 with runners on base for the game.
Avent applauded his team’s effort to keep the Pirates off the score sheet, which allowed the Pack to notch its first shutout of the season.
“We have a good defensive team,” Avent said. “We just haven’t been able to show it.”
The Wolfpack was aided by the absence of Pirates junior designated hitter Luke Lowery, who was held out as a precaution. Lowery had registered four home runs and 12 runs batted in the nine games he has played so far.
“The guy has four home runs on the year,” Avent said. “He is a great player.”
After registering zero runs through the first four innings, Wolfpack senior designated hitter Logan Ratledge broke up the tie game with a two-run shot to left field. The homer was Rutledge’s first of the 2015 season and completely changed the game’s momentum.
“Home runs don’t happen all the time,” Ratledge said. “Hitting is contagious. Once one person gets a big hit, it just keeps coming.”
After pitching a stellar inning and a third, Britt was relieved by sophomore right-hander Joe O’Donnell, who combined with junior closer Jon Olczak to complete the shutout.
The Pack tacked on five runs between the seventh and eighth innings to stretch its lead to 7-0 and kill off the game.
Ratledge led the Pack on the day, going 2-2 with three RBIs and one home run. The three RBIs in the game matched his prior his total on the season.
Despite his good performance and a second consecutive win, the Charlotte native was nonchalant.
“It’s important,” Ratledge said. “But we are just looking to field guys that can play.”
The Wolfpack open ACC play this weekend in a three game series against Clemson and will do so looking to continue its first winning streak since the first two games of the season.
