Big Seventh Inning Powers #Pack9 to Comeback Victory Over Radford

Wednesday, March 1

Raleigh, N.C.

3 p.m.

NC State

9-0

Radford

2-7

Radford

NC State

Big Seventh Inning Powers #Pack9 to Comeback Victory Over Radford

3/1/2023 7:12:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Wolfpack Scores Seven Runs in the Seventh Inning in 9-7 Win

RALEIGH – Faced with a five-run deficit in the seventh inning, the NC State baseball team scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to record a 9-7 comeback victory over Radford Wednesday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park.

The Wolfpack (9-0) faced a season-high deficit of five runs entering the bottom of the seventh. Kalae Harrison and Trevor Candelaria recorded back-to-back walks to force a Radford (2-7) pitching change. Payton Green then needed to see just three pitches to launch his fourth home run of the season, blasting a three-run homer to left field off new Radford reliever Landon Higgerson to trim the deficit to 7-5.

Back-to-back walks from LuJames Groover III and Eli Serrano III then put two more runners on with nobody out, bringing up pinch hitter Dominic Pilolli. Pilolli delivered a pinch-hit base hit for the second straight game, driving home Groover III to make it 7-6.

After Noah Soles was hit by a pitch and a popout in foul territory, Jacob Cozart stepped to the plate with the Pack down one with the bases loaded and one out. Cozart then smacked the second pitch of his at-bat down the right-field line, scoring two to put the Pack in the lead for the first time on Wednesday at 8-7. Harrison then helped the Wolfpack bat around with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Soles from third to push the lead to 9-7.

Justin Lawson then shut down the Highlanders in the final two innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with three strikeouts to earn his second save of the season. Lawson punched out the side in the top of the ninth, getting all three Radford batters to strike out swinging.

Sam Highfill earned his second pitching victory out of the bullpen in Wednesday's comeback, settling the game down with 3.1 innings pitched while allowing just four hits and one run with four strikeouts.

Radford jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first after loading the bases with its first three batters of the game. The Highlanders used a bases-loaded walk and a pair of RBI groundouts to plate their three runs in the first inning. The Wolfpack trimmed Radford's lead to 3-1 in the third inning with an RBI single from Groover III but was unable to put multiple runs on the board after a ground-ball double play ended the inning.

Radford scored three in the fourth to extend its lead to 6-1 before an RBI groundout from Candelaria made it 6-2 after the fifth inning. The Highlanders plated the first run of the seventh inning with a two-out RBI single from Peyton Henry.

Groover III and Green paced the Wolfpack with two-hit performances, while Harrison scored all three times he reached base to lead the Pack in runs scored.

UP NEXT
NC State concludes its eight-game homestand with a three-game weekend series against NJIT (4-3). The Pack's series opener against the Highlanders is set for Friday with a 3 p.m. first pitch. All three games this weekend will be broadcasted live on ACC Network Extra.

#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball