Tuesday, April 25
Raleigh, N.C.
6 p.m.
NC State
26-14
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29-12
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NC State
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Photo by: Mollie Mitchell
#Pack9 Notches 5-4 Victory Over No. 12 East Carolina
4/25/2023 10:18:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH – The NC State baseball team recorded a wire-to-wire 5-4 victory over No. 12 East Carolina on Tuesday night at Doak Field at Dail Park. NC State (26-14) scored all five of its runs in the third inning before Carson Kelly recorded a four-out save to preserve the one-run victory over the 12th-ranked Pirates.
After East Carolina (29-12) trimmed its deficit to a single run in the top of the seventh inning, P.J. Labriola entered the game out of the Wolfpack bullpen and struck out Justin Wilcoxen to strand two Pirates on base. Labriola then struck out back-to-back batters to open the top of the eighth before handing the ball over to Kelly, who induced a groundout from Jacob Starling to end the eighth.
Kelly struck out the first batter of the inning before recording his second strikeout with a pair of runners on in the ninth. He then induced a game-ending flyout from Wilcoxen into the glove of right fielder Noah Soles for the game's final out. The save was Kelly's first in an NC State uniform.
NC State struck first with five runs in the bottom of the third, giving the Wolfpack an early 5-0 advantage. Soles opened the third inning with a leadoff single before LuJames Groover III put runners at the corners with a single through the right side. Cannon Peebles brought home the game's first run with an RBI groundout to third base to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.
Will Marcy doubled the Pack's lead to 2-0 with an RBI double to left center. Trevor Candelaria then once again doubled NC State's advantage with a two-run homer to left center, pushing the Wolfpack's lead to 4-0. NC State scored its final run of the inning when Carter Trice crossed home plate before Payton Green was tagged out between first and second base on a stolen base attempt.
Sam Highfill shined in his first start since April 3, 2022, pitching four scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. Highfill struck out three batters in his first start of the season, tossing a season-high 62 pitches over a season-high four innings.
East Carolina tallied its first run of the night on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Pirates scored another run in the sixth inning on an RBI groundout, making it a 5-2 ballgame. East Carolina cut its deficit to one with two runs in the top of the seventh via an RBI groundout from Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and an RBI single to left field from Luke Nowak.
Soles, Marcy and Trice each led the Wolfpack with two hits apiece, while Candelaria's two-run homer helped him lead the team with two RBI.
Labriola (3-0) earned the pitching victory after striking out three Pirates in a crucial scoreless inning for the Wolfpack. Left-hander Zach Root suffered the loss for East Carolina to drop to 3-2 on the season.
NC State improved its record in the series against East Carolina to 71-42, avenging its 13-9 loss from earlier this season in Greenville. The Pack has won five of its past seven games against the Pirates.
UP NEXT
NC State continues its eight-game homestand when it welcomes The Citadel to Doak Field at Dail Park. This weekend's series will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday night and will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
After East Carolina (29-12) trimmed its deficit to a single run in the top of the seventh inning, P.J. Labriola entered the game out of the Wolfpack bullpen and struck out Justin Wilcoxen to strand two Pirates on base. Labriola then struck out back-to-back batters to open the top of the eighth before handing the ball over to Kelly, who induced a groundout from Jacob Starling to end the eighth.
Kelly struck out the first batter of the inning before recording his second strikeout with a pair of runners on in the ninth. He then induced a game-ending flyout from Wilcoxen into the glove of right fielder Noah Soles for the game's final out. The save was Kelly's first in an NC State uniform.
NC State struck first with five runs in the bottom of the third, giving the Wolfpack an early 5-0 advantage. Soles opened the third inning with a leadoff single before LuJames Groover III put runners at the corners with a single through the right side. Cannon Peebles brought home the game's first run with an RBI groundout to third base to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.
Will Marcy doubled the Pack's lead to 2-0 with an RBI double to left center. Trevor Candelaria then once again doubled NC State's advantage with a two-run homer to left center, pushing the Wolfpack's lead to 4-0. NC State scored its final run of the inning when Carter Trice crossed home plate before Payton Green was tagged out between first and second base on a stolen base attempt.
Sam Highfill shined in his first start since April 3, 2022, pitching four scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. Highfill struck out three batters in his first start of the season, tossing a season-high 62 pitches over a season-high four innings.
East Carolina tallied its first run of the night on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Pirates scored another run in the sixth inning on an RBI groundout, making it a 5-2 ballgame. East Carolina cut its deficit to one with two runs in the top of the seventh via an RBI groundout from Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and an RBI single to left field from Luke Nowak.
Soles, Marcy and Trice each led the Wolfpack with two hits apiece, while Candelaria's two-run homer helped him lead the team with two RBI.
Labriola (3-0) earned the pitching victory after striking out three Pirates in a crucial scoreless inning for the Wolfpack. Left-hander Zach Root suffered the loss for East Carolina to drop to 3-2 on the season.
NC State improved its record in the series against East Carolina to 71-42, avenging its 13-9 loss from earlier this season in Greenville. The Pack has won five of its past seven games against the Pirates.
UP NEXT
NC State continues its eight-game homestand when it welcomes The Citadel to Doak Field at Dail Park. This weekend's series will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday night and will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Labriola, P.J. (3-0)
L: ROOT, Zach (3-2)
S: Kelly, Carson (1)
Batting:
2B: STARLING, Jacob 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1
RBI: MOYLAN, Josh 1 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 1 ; BERINI, Joey 1
SF: MOYLAN, Josh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOOVER, Lane 1 ; STARLING, Jacob 2 ; NOWAK, Luke 1
HBP: MOYLAN, Josh 1 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1
Batting:
2B: Marcy, Will 1 ; Trice, Carter 1
HR: Candelaria, Trevor 1
RBI: Peebles, Cannon 1 ; Marcy, Will 1 ; Candelaria, Trevor 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Soles, Noah 1 ; Groover III, LuJames 1 ; Marcy, Will 1 ; Candelaria, Trevor 1 ; Trice, Carter 1
CS: Green, Payton 1
HBP: Harrison, Kalae 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
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LHP
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