#13 NC State is Swept by Georgia Tech on the Road

It was a terrible week for 13th ranked NC State Baseball team. The Wolfpack lost to UNCG 3-18 in a midweek game, and were then swept by Georgia Tech on the road this weekend.

Pitching was major issue for the Pack in all 4 losses, giving up a total of 49 runs, averaging 12.25 per loss.

(Recaps of the UNCG Loss and the first loss in the GT Series)

In Saturday’s loss, Senior Logan Whitaker was not the issue, giving up 3 earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched, while striking out 7 (1 walk). He now holds a 2-1 record with a 4.50 ERA.

With the Pack winning 7-5 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning, Freshman Jacob Dudan, who hadn’t given up a run in his first 8 appearances, gave up 4 runs (3 earned), which ultimately led to a Yellow Jackets 8-7 victory.

Also, the Wolfpack allowed Georgia Tech to score 2 unearned runs on Saturday, and ended up losing the game by 1.

Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington was the lone batter with multiple hits (2-4), and Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth and Freshman 2nd Baseman Luke Nixon both had 2 RBI’s each. Nixon hit the first home run of his career.

Saturday

Yesterday, NC State lost via mercy rule in the 7th inning, trailing the Yellow Jackets 5-15 in the bottom of the 7th.

After earning Preseason All-American honors by D1Baseball, Sophomore Dom Fritton continues to struggle mightily in 2024. Fritton gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 2.2 innings pitched, walking 5. His ERA on the season is 8.24 in 5 starts. He wasn’t the only one to struggle though, with Freshman Jaxon Lucas giving up 4 runs (3 earned), Junior Garrett Payne giving up 2, and Sophomore Derrick Smith giving up 3.

Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III was the only Wolfpack batter with multiple hits (2-4), with one of them being a double, along with 2 walks.

Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart hit a double that knocked in 2 runs, and Freshman Catcher Alex Sosa hit his first collegiate home run, knocking in two as well.

Sunday

NC State is now 12-6 overall, with a 3-3 ACC record. They need to figure things out quickly, because they have a challenging midweek game against Coastal Carolina (17-3) at the Doak on Tuesday night at 6pm.