NC State Baseball
#6 NC State rebounds with 14-2 victory over VT
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Graduate student Johnny Piedmonte took a perfect game into the sixth, a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Wolfpack’s offense did its part, as the sixth-ranked NC State baseball team earned a 14-2 win against Virginia Tech Friday afternoon at English Field at Union Park.
The Wolfpack grabbed an early lead in the contest with three runs in the first and led 11-0 before the Hokies ended the shutout bid in the bottom of the seventh. With the win, NC State evened the series to set up the rubber game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
NC State improves to 22-5 overall and 8-3 in ACC play, while Virginia Tech falls to 11-14 and 5-6 in conference action.
Quick Hits
– Piedmonte turned in one of the best performances in his collegiate career, as he was nearly unhittable in seven innings of work. The Davidson, N.C., native was perfect through 5.1 innings before a one-out hit-by-pitch in the sixth.
– A single to right field ended his no-hit bid in the seventh and a sacrifice fly ended the shutout in the same inning. He struck out six batters and allowed just two hits, both singles.
– For the second consecutive game, NC State scored in the first inning as the Wolfpack plated three runs in the opening frame.
– After singles from Josh McLain and Brett Kinneman, sophomore Will Wilson belted his seventh home run of the season over the wall in left field.
– The Pack added to its lead in the third after an RBI single to right field by Brock Deatherage, scoring Kinneman who walked earlier in the frame.
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– In the fourth inning, Kinneman doubled to deep right field, as David Vazquez and McLain scored to give NC State a 6-0 advantage.
– An RBI groundout from Vazquez and an RBI single by Dillon Cooper pushed the Wolfpack’s lead to 8-0.
– McLain drove in a pair of runs with a single to left field in the seventh and a throwing error led to the third run of the inning for NCSU.
– Deatherage led off the eighth with a solo homer to deep right field, his fifth of the season to make it 12-1 in favor of the Wolfpack.
– NC State extended its lead to 14-1 in the eighth after McLain singled to score J.T. Jarrett and Patrick Bailey.
– Virginia Tech got a run back in the bottom half, but Wolfpack relief pitcher Evan Justice worked a perfect ninth inning to seal the win.
Inside the Box Score
– Deatherage was the only player in the game with four hits, as he turned in a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the plate. It was his first four-hit game this season and the seventh of the year for a Wolfpack player.
– McLain collected three hits in the contest, while Bailey, Jarrett and Kinneman also tallied multi-hit performances.
– The Wolfpack’s leadoff batter reached in six of the nine innings and NC State had at least one baserunner in eight of the nine innings.
– Justice relieved Piedmonte and pitched the final two innings. The Richmond, Va., native had the opportunity to pitch in his home state for the first time in his NC State career.
Up Next
NC State and Virginia Tech return to the field Saturday afternoon for the decisive game three of the series. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
#20 NC State upset #7 Florida St. 8-7 in the series opener down in Tallahassee this evening.
Freshman Cooper Consiglio was the hero on the mound this evening, coming in after Senior Sam Highfill and Sophomore Shane Van Dam, pitching 4.1 innings, while giving up only 1 earned run and striking out 5. It was probably Consiglio’s best performance of his collegiate career, marking the first time he’s ever pitched 4 innings, and given up 1 run or less. He now is 2-4 on the year with a 5.66 ERA.
Sophomore Derrick Smith picked up his 4th Save of the year, failing to give up a hit in 1.2 innings pitched, while striking out 3.
Left them loaded! @DrockSmith22 strikes out Fisher to leave the bases loaded in the eighth!#Pack9 pic.twitter.com/ZxrysbIJVI
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) May 4, 2024
Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart got things started off for the Wolfpack in the Top of the 2nd hitting his 9th Home Run in the past 9 games, and his 15th of the year.
Sophomore 2nd Baseman Matt Heavner led the Pack with 2 RBI’s tonight. The first followed Cozart’s bomb, hitting a Single in the Top of the 2nd that scored Sophomore Left Fielder Luke Nixon. Then Junior Chase Nixon hit a Single, and 2 NC State runners scored due to a wild throw.
In play, runs ➕2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/jb5gAAs727
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) May 3, 2024
Then in the Top of the 3rd, Heavner knocked in another run with a Sac Bunt, that scored Luke Nixon.
Small Ball™️ pic.twitter.com/4U61oxRbE5
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) May 3, 2024
Then Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III hit an RBI Single that scored Chase Nixon, giving the Wolfpack a 6-2 lead.
In the Top of the 6th, Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz hit a solo Home Run, his 18th of the season.
SEE. YOU. LATER. ✌️.#Pack9 | @Alec_mak99 pic.twitter.com/muKGGbkEqJ
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) May 4, 2024
In the same inning, Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth scored on a wild pitch, giving the Wolfpack their 8th run of the evening.
Senior starting Pitcher Sam Highfill was only able to pitch 2 innings, giving up 2 earned runs. Sophomore Shane Van Dam continues to struggle in relief, giving up 3 earned runs in 1 inning. His ERA is now up to 5.17. Van Dam left the game with an injury, which might have led to his exit.
The Wolfpack and the Seminoles will play Game 2 tomorrow at 7pm.
#20 NC State will head down to Tallahassee tomorrow for a 3-game series against #7 FSU. Before they do, here’s a look at where NC State is projected to land in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as things currently stand.
Last week, both D1Baseball and Baseball America projected the Wolfpack to play as a #2 seed in the Greenville Regional (ECU), with the former projecting the Pirates to be a #6 seed, and the latter projecting them to be a #8 seed.
This week, D1Baseball has NC State as a #2 seed in the Lexington Regional, with Kentucky as a #5 seed. Baseball America still has the Wolfpack as a #2 seed in the Greenville Region, with the Pirates still sitting as a #8 seed.
D1Baseball
Baseball America
#20 NC State lost to UNC-Wilmington 4-5 this evening at home, losing their 5th straight midweek game. The Wolfpack were swept by the Seahawks this year, ironically losing 4-5 down in Wilmington on April 9th.
Freshman Ryan Marohn got the starting nod, and he was excellent, giving up 1 earned run in 5 innings pitched, striking out 7. It was arguably his best start since his collegiate debut against VCU in the opening series.
Sophomore Shane Van Dam was Mr. Reliable through much of the season, but he hasn’t had his best stuff as of late. This evening, he faced four batters, hitting 2, walking another, and surrendering a hit to the other. Van Dam failed to record an out, and gave up 3 earned runs. Heading into the UNC game back on April 18th, Van Dam had a 2.63 ERA. After the past 4 appearances, his ERA has shot up to 3.96.
Freshman Jacob Dudan settled things down, pitching 4 scoreless innings, giving up only 1 hit, while striking out 5.
Unfortunately, Sophomore Derrick Smith allowed the Seahawks to score a run in the Top of the 10th, which was enough for the opposing team to leave Raleigh with a win, with NC State failing to score a run in the final 5 frames.
Junior Jacob Cozart continues an insane power surge, hitting two more Home Runs tonight. Cozart has hit 7 Home Runs in the past 6 games.
*Scheduled tweet* pic.twitter.com/eHvyuGT6so
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
SCOREBOARD SHOT 🚀 pic.twitter.com/tMvY8imzgG
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
Cozart now has 14 Home Runs on the year. His previous career high was 11.
Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington also hit a Solo Home Run, his 11th bomb of the year.
Goodbye Baseball ✌️#Pack9 | @Garrettpenn14 pic.twitter.com/p0tySYt3aF
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
On Friday, the Wolfpack will head down to Tallahassee for a 3-game series against #7 Florida State.
