#12 NC State’s Ninth-Inning Blunder Leads to First Loss of the 2025 Season Against Liberty

#12 NC State (3-1) suffered an 8-9 loss to Liberty (4-0) today due to a ninth-inning blunder in a midweek game, marking the Wolfpack’s first defeat of the 2025 season.

Redshirt junior Matt Willadsen made his first start since June 3, 2023. Willadsen missed the entire 2024 season due to an elbow injury. He warmed up on Saturday in Game 3 of the opening series against Fordham, giving up one earned run in an inning pitched, with all three outs coming via strikeout. Today wasn’t the result Willadsen was hoping for in his first start in 625 days; he surrendered five earned runs over 2.1 innings, striking out two and walking one. Willadsen entered the third inning with the game tied at 1-1. After forcing the first batter to ground out, the next four at-bats were a single, double, walk, and single, scoring two runs. Sophomore Cooper Consiglio replaced Willadsen with two runners left on base. Although Consiglio secured the final two outs with strikeouts, he allowed two singles that scored the runners.

The Wolfpack tied things up in the bottom of the fourth, with a four-run inning. Sophomore second baseman Luke Nixon singled, knocking in two, and sophomore first baseman Chris McHugh brought two more across the plate with a double.

Consiglio didn’t allow an earned run over 1.2 innings, striking out three. Through two appearances this season, he hasn’t given up an earned run and has struck out seven in 3.2 innings. On the downside, he has walked four.

Freshman Anderson Nance was next on the mound, making his collegiate debut, and it was encouraging to say the least, keeping Liberty off the board for three innings, surrendering only one hit while striking out two.

Junior right fielder Brayden Frasman hit a solo shot over the fence in the bottom of the fifth, giving the Pack a one-run lead. It was Frasman’s second home run in four games.

Junior Andrew Shaffner made his second appearance of the season in the top of the eighth, and once again, he put a donut on the board. After pitching 3.2 scoreless innings in the opening game of the season last Friday, Shaffner didn’t allow a hit in his one inning of work.

In the bottom of the eighth, McHugh singled up the middle, bringing in two runs, with one of them being the result of a Liberty error.

The Wolfpack held an 8-5 lead heading into the top of the ninth, and preseason first-team All-American sophomore Jacob Dudan took the mound to secure the save. Dudan had a rough start to the season in Game 3 of the series against Fordham this past weekend, giving up two earned runs in 0.1 innings of work. Unfortunately, Dudan, ranked as the #1 reliever in college baseball by D1Baseball in their preseason rankings, suffered the loss after allowing the Flames to score four runs in the inning. It wasn’t entirely Dudan’s fault, as none of the runs were earned, but his three walks and one hit allowed did not help.

Through four games, the Wolfpack have committed seven errors, allowing six unearned runs across the plate.

McHugh has been sensational through four games, producing nine RBIs with a .500 batting average.

Nixon was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs, boasting a .425 batting average through four games.

Senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio has been automatic at the plate through four games. He was 2 for 2 today, with two walks and a stolen base. Through four games, DeCriscio is batting .625.

Frasman was 2 for 4 with a home run and double. Four of his seven hits this season have gone for extra bases.

Freshman center fielder Ty Head was 2 for 3 with two walks and is now batting .385.

The Wolfpack’s offense wasn’t the issue today, tallying eight runs on 12 hits. The lone batter who noticeably struggled today struck out in all five at bats, earning a golden sombrero.

NC State has a challenging weekend ahead of them down in Jacksonville, Florida, facing Ohio St., Alabama, and Coastal Carolina in the Jax Baseball Classic.