Friday, March 31
Raleigh, N.C.
6 p.m.
NC State
19-7, 4-6
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Louisville
20-5, 3-4
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Louisville
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NC State
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Photo by: Mollie Mitchell
Groover III's Walk-Off Single Lifts Pack to 6-5 Win Over No. 11 Louisville
3/31/2023 10:11:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH – The NC State baseball team walked it off in the ninth inning to secure a 6-5 comeback victory over No. 11 Louisville on Friday night at Doak Field at Dail Park.
Facing a two-run deficit entering its final at-bat, NC State (19-7, 4-6 ACC) rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth for the ACC Friday night victory. Kalae Harrison drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Pack within one at 5-4 before LuJames Groover III walked it off with a two-RBI single through the left side, scoring Eli Serrano III and Parker Nolan to lift NC State to a 6-5 victory.
Will Marcy drew a one-out walk to begin the comeback before Serrano III legged out an infield single to ignite the rally. Nolan drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases to put the winning run at first. Harrison then drew the bases-loaded walk before Groover III delivered the walk-off winner on a 2-0 count.
The Pack struck first in Friday's matchup when Harrison scored all the way from first on a single from Trevor Candelaria. Candelaria hustled to second base to force an errant throw from Louisville third baseman Logan Beard, allowing Harrison to score and give NC State a 1-0 lead. Chase Nixon then doubled the Pack's early advantage with an RBI double off the right-field wall to make it 2-0.
Louisville (20-5, 3-4 ACC) threatened in the fourth with runners in scoring position after back-to-back singles, but Wolfpack starter Logan Whitaker induced a foul out and struck out Eddie King Jr. to post a scoreless inning.
The Cardinals pushed their first run across when Christian Knapczyk recorded an RBI groundout, trimming NC State's lead to 2-1. Whitaker limited the damage in the fifth when he got Jack Payton to ground out to shortstop to end the top of the fifth.
Whitaker shined in the Pack's Friday night victory, tying a season-high with seven innings pitched while limiting the Cardinals to just four hits with one walk allowed. The right-hander struck out a season-high seven batters, falling just one short of tying his career-high.
Louisville took its first lead with four runs on three hits in the top of the eighth. After back-to-back hits and a hit-by-pitch, Ryan McCoy drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 2-2. A fielder's choice RBI from Benson and a two-RBI double from King Jr. then extended Louisville's lead to 5-2.
On the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth, Nolan belted a solo home run to right field to cut into Louisville's three-run lead. Nolan drove the first pitch from Louisville closer Tate Kuehner to opposite field to trim the Cardinals' lead to 5-3.
In his return to the lineup, Candelaria tied Serrano III for the team lead in hits with two apiece. Groover III paced NC State hitters with two RBI, driving both in on the game's final swing.
John Miralia earned his first-career NC State pitching victory after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, recording four key outs before Groover III's walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Tucker Biven fell to 0-1 on the season.
UP NEXT
NC State looks to notch its first ACC series win of the season on Saturday night at Doak Field at Dail Park. Saturday's matchup against the No. 11 Cardinals is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
Facing a two-run deficit entering its final at-bat, NC State (19-7, 4-6 ACC) rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth for the ACC Friday night victory. Kalae Harrison drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Pack within one at 5-4 before LuJames Groover III walked it off with a two-RBI single through the left side, scoring Eli Serrano III and Parker Nolan to lift NC State to a 6-5 victory.
Will Marcy drew a one-out walk to begin the comeback before Serrano III legged out an infield single to ignite the rally. Nolan drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases to put the winning run at first. Harrison then drew the bases-loaded walk before Groover III delivered the walk-off winner on a 2-0 count.
The Pack struck first in Friday's matchup when Harrison scored all the way from first on a single from Trevor Candelaria. Candelaria hustled to second base to force an errant throw from Louisville third baseman Logan Beard, allowing Harrison to score and give NC State a 1-0 lead. Chase Nixon then doubled the Pack's early advantage with an RBI double off the right-field wall to make it 2-0.
Louisville (20-5, 3-4 ACC) threatened in the fourth with runners in scoring position after back-to-back singles, but Wolfpack starter Logan Whitaker induced a foul out and struck out Eddie King Jr. to post a scoreless inning.
The Cardinals pushed their first run across when Christian Knapczyk recorded an RBI groundout, trimming NC State's lead to 2-1. Whitaker limited the damage in the fifth when he got Jack Payton to ground out to shortstop to end the top of the fifth.
Whitaker shined in the Pack's Friday night victory, tying a season-high with seven innings pitched while limiting the Cardinals to just four hits with one walk allowed. The right-hander struck out a season-high seven batters, falling just one short of tying his career-high.
Louisville took its first lead with four runs on three hits in the top of the eighth. After back-to-back hits and a hit-by-pitch, Ryan McCoy drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 2-2. A fielder's choice RBI from Benson and a two-RBI double from King Jr. then extended Louisville's lead to 5-2.
On the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth, Nolan belted a solo home run to right field to cut into Louisville's three-run lead. Nolan drove the first pitch from Louisville closer Tate Kuehner to opposite field to trim the Cardinals' lead to 5-3.
In his return to the lineup, Candelaria tied Serrano III for the team lead in hits with two apiece. Groover III paced NC State hitters with two RBI, driving both in on the game's final swing.
John Miralia earned his first-career NC State pitching victory after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, recording four key outs before Groover III's walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Tucker Biven fell to 0-1 on the season.
UP NEXT
NC State looks to notch its first ACC series win of the season on Saturday night at Doak Field at Dail Park. Saturday's matchup against the No. 11 Cardinals is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Miralia, John (1-0)
L: Tucker Biven (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Eddie King Jr. 1 ; Logan Beard 1 ; Gavin Kilen 2
RBI: Christian Knapczyk 1 ; Ryan McCoy 1 ; JT Benson 1 ; Eddie King Jr. 2
SH: JT Benson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Christian Knapczyk 1 ; Ryan McCoy 1 ; Noah Smith 1 ; Isaac Humphrey 1 ; Gavin Kilen 1
CS: Christian Knapczyk 1
HBP: Jack Payton 1
Batting:
2B: Nixon, Chase 1
HR: Nolan, Parker 1
RBI: Harrison, Kalae 1 ; Groover III, LuJames 2 ; Nixon, Chase 1 ; Nolan, Parker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Harrison, Kalae 1 ; Candelaria, Trevor 1 ; Marcy, Will 1 ; Serrano III, Eli 1 ; Nolan, Parker 2
CS: Serrano III, Eli 1
HBP: Groover III, LuJames 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
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INF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
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LHP
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OF
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RHP
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