RALEIGH, N.C. – In its first game as the nation’s No. 1 team in program history, the NC State baseball team cruised past the Towson Tigers, 11-1, Tuesday evening at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The Wolfpack scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back, scoring 10 or more runs in a game for the eighth time this season.
NC State becomes the first team in the nation to reach 20 wins and is the only one-loss team in the nation, while Towson falls to 3-14.
Redshirt senior Nolan Clenney earned the win on the mound, his first of the season, while Towson starter Matt Watters was charged with the loss (0-2).
Quick Hits
– NC State scored first for the 11th time this season, as the Wolfpack pushed across three runs in the first inning to grab a 3-0 lead.
– Jonny Butler walked to start the frame and Will Wilson followed with a single through the left side.
– Patrick Bailey doubled off the wall in left field to score Butler and Wilson scored on a sacrifice fly from Evan Edwards to make it 2-0.
– An RBI single from Tyler McDonough plated Bailey, as the third run of the inning.
– Wilson drove in the Wolfpack’s fourth run of the day, as Butler singled through the left side and scored on Wilson’s double to left field.
– Edwards team-leading sixth home run gave NC State a 5-0 lead, as he deposited a 3-2 pitch over the wall in right center for a solo homer.
– Towson got on the board in the fourth after an RBI triple from Javon Fields.
– NC State countered with two runs in the sixth following a run-scoring single from Butler and a sacrifice fly from Edwards.
– The Pack tallied a big inning in the seventh with four runs to extend the margin to its final tally of 11-1.
– Butler drove in his second run of the day with a single to left field and Wilson stepped to the plate two batter later, clubbing a three-run homer to left center on his fifth of the year.
Inside the Box Score
– Butler tallied the first four-hit performance of his NC State career, as he was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with four runs scored and two RBI.
– Wilson was 3-for-5 with four RBI and also scored twice.
– Bailey and Edwards both extended their reached base safely streaks to 21 games, as they have reached safely in every game this season.
– David Vazquez singled in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games, the longest on the team.
On Deck
NC State will return to action this weekend when the Wolfpack travels to Coral Gables, Fla., for its first ACC road series of the season at Miami. Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m. at Mark Light Field.
The NC State Baseball team is now 7-0 through two weeks of play, going 4-0 last week, defeating Coastal Carolina 16-4 on the road in a midweek game, and sweeping Belmont at home this past weekend (11-4, 7-0, 7-1).
The Wolfpack remain ranked 21st in the D1Baseball Top-25.
The Wolfpack moved up 11 spots to #19 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll, up 2 spots to #20 in the Coaches Poll, and up 1 spot to #24 in the Baseball America poll.
NC State will host Longwood today at 3pm in their next matchup.
But while I was over on Twitter, I saw a ton of comments on it, all of them NC State fans, and almost all of them critical of the new look.
Look, I don’t know what’s going on here. Maybe it’ll look a lot better once it’s done, or maybe the grass will match up a lot better when it greens up. But right now, it’s a little jarring. Here is how it used to look…
Again, I’m going to wait until it’s really done before I cast judgement, but I think the official tweet from the school marketing it and drawing attention to it, has people thinking it’s in it’s final form. And maybe it is. But I hope it’s not.
I remember this being shared a while back…
This shows grass in foul territory and dirt in the 1st/3rd baselines. So I’m not sure when this turf thing came along. And while we’re on the subject, aren’t we a turf management school? Shouldn’t we be turning up our noses at artificial turf?
Apparently, this is a thing now, where foul territories are artificial turf and fair territory is grass. Here is Mississippi State’s baseball field doing the same thing.
Can’t say I like it there either, honestly. It just seems like one of those fads. Remember when everyone was going crazy with field/court colors?
School with a grey field and school with a glow in the dark basketball court meet on blue turf. Winning coach gets dumped with French fries. College athletics at its absolute best. https://t.co/crEKoeLKbXpic.twitter.com/Bpeod50Sy4
Did anyone ever really like those? Do people like them now? Have they ever gotten a recruit to come to the school? Have they ever scared a recruit away?
I don’t know. You tell me. I’ll hold final judgment, but things NC State fans don’t seem like they’re going to follow along.