NC State Baseball
NC State Rallies Twice to Beat NC A&T 9-7
RALEIGH, N.C. – Junior Brett Kinneman hit a game-tying grand slam in the fourth inning and a go-ahead RBI triple in the seventh inning to help lift the 12th-ranked NC State baseball team past North Carolina A&T, 9-7, Tuesday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.
Freshman Evan Justice earned the first win of his collegiate career in the contest, while redshirt senior Joe O’Donnell, a Preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Watch List Selection, nailed down his second save of the season.
The Wolfpack moves to 3-1 on the year, while the Aggies fall to 1-2.
Avent’s Additions
Overall thoughts…
”I’ve been here for 22 years and we have played A&T most of those years,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “I’ve had a great relationship with all the coaches there and I just want to say that Coach Hall has done one heck of a job, that’s a whole different A&T team than I’ve ever seen. They looked really good and competitive. All of their guys played hard and smart.
“You’re happy to win and I was proud of how our guys came back being down five runs. I thought we put some good at-bats together against a good team. It’s a good win for us especially after the disappointing game against Seton Hall.”
Quick Hits
– After trailing early, NC State put together a big inning in the fourth, scoring five runs to tie the game at 5-5.
– Shane Shepard drove in the first run of the game for the Wolfpack with an RBI single to center field, as Brock Deatherage scored from second base.
– With the bases loaded, Kinneman stepped to the plate and launched the 3-1 delivery from N.C. A&T starting pitcher Ethan Chavis over the right field wall for a grand slam. It was his first home run of the season and first grand slam of the season for the Wolfpack.
– The Aggies pulled ahead in the seventh after a two-run homer by Adan Ordonez, but the lead was short-lived as NC State countered in the bottom half.
– Freshman Patrick Bailey led off with a single to left field and two batters later, Evan Edwards lined a pinch-hit single to right center.
– Dillon Cooper drove in Bailey on an RBI single and J.T. Jarrett scored on an error by the N.C. A&T center fielder to knot the score at 7-7.
– Kinneman just missed hitting his second home run of the day, as he tripled off the wall in right center to plate Cooper and Josh McLain to give NC State a 9-7 lead.
– With runners on first and second in the ninth, Jarrett gloved the ground ball, stepped on second base and fired to first for the double play to end the game.
On the Mound
– Mathieu Gauthier started on the mound for the Wolfpack and pitched five innings, striking out three while yielding four earned runs.
– Justice relieved him and tossed two innings with four strikeouts to pick up his first collegiate victory.
– Nolan Clenney took over for Justice and threw an inning before handing the ball to Kent Klyman in the ninth. Klyman struck out the only batter he faced, and O’Donnell finished it off to seal the win.
Inside the Box Score
– Kinneman was 3-for-4 at the plate with six runs batted in thanks to the grand slam and two-RBI triple.
– Bailey, Deatherage and McLain were each 2-for-5, while Cooper was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
Game Notes
– McLain has tallied at least one hit in all four games this season and extends his hitting streak to 12 games dating back to 2017.
– Will Wilson walked in the contest to stretch his reached base safely streak to 20 games.
– The Wolfpack hit its fifth home run of the season in the contest, as the squad is now tied for the ACC lead.
Up Next
NC State returns to action tomorrow afternoon when Charlotte visits Doak Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
#21 NC State lost to #7 ECU 6-10 on the road this evening in a midweek game. As a result, the Pirates have won both games against the Wolfpack in 2024.
When you record 10 hits and score 6 runs, you would hope that’s enough offense to win a baseball game.
Unfortunately the Wolfpack pitching staff was unable to contain the bats of the Pirates, allowing ECU to put 15 hits and 10 runs in the Box Score.
Kudos to Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz for making a STATEment in his return to Clark-LeClair Stadium. A-Mak transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. This evening Makarewicz was 2-4 with 1 RBI, 2 Runs, and 1 Walk.
A-MAK 👏 ON 👏 THE 👏 ATTACK 👏#Pack9 | @Alec_mak99 pic.twitter.com/7Lps43hXow
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
A-Mak’s Home Run was a part of back-to-back-to-back Home Runs in the Top of the 3rd for the Wolfpack, with Sophomore Right Fielder Josh Hogue and Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart also hitting bombs.
Hogue Homer 💪#Pack9 | @JoshHogue5 pic.twitter.com/CMV3rCQu4B
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
‘Zart completes the trifecta 🤌 pic.twitter.com/gipiWvbcFb
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
NC State will look to flush this loss, and get ready for a 3-game series at home this weekend against Ball State.
Earlier this season on April 2nd, #21 NC State (22-15) lost to #7 ECU (31-8) 4-12 in Raleigh. This evening the Wolfpack will look to get revenge against the Pirates in a game in Greenville at 6pm.
Overall, NC State holds a 71-43 advantage over East Carolina in the series, which dates back to 1957.
Last year, the Wolfpack and the Pirates split their 2-game series, ironically, losing at home, and winning in Greenville.
Replicating last years results will be no small task. The Pirates are ranked 7th in the land, and boast a 3-1 record against ranked opponents this season. One of those wins was against NC State, when the Wolfpack was ranked 19th. The other two ranked wins were at UNC when they were ranked 15th.
NC State has done well against ranked opponents, going 7-4 against teams in the Top-25, and 4-2 against teams in the Top-10.
The Pirates’ pitching staff leads the AAC and is in the Top-10 nationally in ERA (3.61), WHIP (1.18), hits allowed per nine innings (6.99) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.04).
ECU’s home field advantage is a real thing, going 20-2 at home thus far this season.
Senior Carter Cunningham leads the Pirates in nearly every offensive category, batting .396 with 9 Home Runs. He’s not alone though. Five of ECU’s regular starters have batting averages over .300.
It will be a homecoming for Senior Wolfpack Third Baseman Alec Makarewicz, who transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. A-Mak is having the best season of his career, hitting 15 Home Runs while batting .349. It would be fitting for Makarewicz to win at his old stomping grounds.
NC State’s Baseball team is solidly back in the Top-25 after winning a series over rival UNC this past weekend, winning 2 of 3 at home. Last week, the Wolfpack were ranked 22nd in the Baseball America poll, but in none of the others.
NC State will play a midweek game at East Carolina tomorrow night on the road, and the Pirates rank 7th in the D1Baseball and Coaches Poll.
NC State won the first two games of the series, clinching their first series victory over rival #11 UNC since 2021, and the first one at home since 2016. The Wolfpack weren’t able to pull of the sweep this afternoon, losing the finale to the Tar Heels 3-14.
The NC State pitching staff didn’t have an answer for the UNC bats today. Starter Freshman Cooper Consiglio gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 3.1 innings, striking out 4, and walking 4. The Wolfpack put 5 pitchers on the mound today, and every single one of them gave up runs. Sophomore Andrew Shaffner and Freshman Camden Wimbish both gave up 3 runs apiece.
Junior Jacob Cozart was the only bright spot in the Wolfpack’s offense today, hitting 2 solo Home Runs, marking only the 2nd time in his career that he has hit 2+ Home Runs in a single game.
Opposite-field jack for ‘Zart 💪 pic.twitter.com/ssPXqDAgww
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 20, 2024
The second-career multi-homer game for No. 14 💣 pic.twitter.com/Y2mnJHGkbi
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 20, 2024
The Wolfpack have two Top-10 series wins (Duke #9 and Clemson #2), and now another Top-15 series win (UNC #11).
Things don’t get any easier this Tuesday, playing #9 ECU on the road at 6pm. NC State should be ranked when they play the Pirates this week.
