Friday, April 19
Raleigh, N.C.
6 p.m.
NC State
22-14, 12-8
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29-10, 14-6
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Photo by: Mollie Mitchell
Late Rally Helps #Pack9 Secure Series Victory Over No. 11 North Carolina
4/19/2024 10:27:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. – Four late-inning unanswered runs from the Wolfpack offense powered the NC State baseball team to a 5-4 series-clinching victory over No. 11 North Carolina at Doak Field at Dail Park on Friday night.
NC State (22-14, 12-8 ACC) faced a 4-1 deficit entering the bottom of the seventh inning after North Carolina (29-10, 14-6 ACC) smacked three solo homers and an RBI double over the opening five frames to build a three-run advantage.
Eli Serrano III cut the Wolfpack's deficit to two in the seventh, lining an RBI single to center field to score Luke Nixon from second. Nixon extended the inning with a two-out walk, advancing to second on a passed ball before Serrano III ripped a single on a 2-1 pitch to center field.
Jaxon Lucas, who inherited two runners with nobody out in the seventh, tossed two scoreless innings to keep the Wolfpack within striking distance. Lucas left the bases loaded in the seventh after getting Alberto Osuna to ground into an inning-ending fielder's choice. Catcher Jacob Cozart then finished off a scoreless eighth for Lucas with a dart to second base, notching his 10th caught stealing of the season.
Cozart's defensive gem provided momentum to the Wolfpack offense in the bottom of the eighth as Josh Hogue and Alec Makarewicz led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Brandon Butterworth then lined a one-out RBI single to center field to trim the deficit to 4-3.
Cozart tied the score at 4-4 after a wild pitch from North Carolina reliever Matthew Matthijs allowed him to advance 90 feet for the tying run. Butterworth also advanced into scoring position on the wild pitch before a groundout to second base moved him to third base with two outs. Tar Heel catcher Luke Stevenson then muffed an offering from Matthijs to allow Butterworth to speed home from third base for the game-winning run.
Jacob Dudan nailed down his team-high fourth save of the season in the ninth, retiring the Tar Heels in order with back-to-back groundouts to Luke Nixon and a strikeout of North Carolina centerfielder Vance Honeycutt to end the ballgame.
NC State plated its first run in the bottom of the third to draw the score level at 1-1. Garrett Pennington smacked his first of a team-high three hits with his team-best 16th double of the season to score Serrano III.
Lucas earned his first-career win with his scoreless seventh and eighth frames, striking out two Tar Heels without allowing a hit. Matthijs (11-3) suffered the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) in relief.
Wolfpack starting pitcher Dominic Fritton delivered a season-high six innings for NC State, allowing just four hits with seven strikeouts.
The Wolfpack exceled in Friday night's series-clinching victory in hitting with runners on base, going 6-for-17 (.353). The Wolfpack also batted .300 (3-for-10) with two outs, while NC State pitching limited the Tar Heels to just a .111 clip (1-for-9) in two-out opportunities.
Friday night's win seals the Wolfpack's first series victory over North Carolina since 2021. NC State completed the sweep three seasons ago in Chapel Hill from March 26-29.
UP NEXT
The Wolfpack concludes its rivalry series against the No. 11 Tar Heels on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's series finale is set for 3 p.m. and will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
NC State (22-14, 12-8 ACC) faced a 4-1 deficit entering the bottom of the seventh inning after North Carolina (29-10, 14-6 ACC) smacked three solo homers and an RBI double over the opening five frames to build a three-run advantage.
Eli Serrano III cut the Wolfpack's deficit to two in the seventh, lining an RBI single to center field to score Luke Nixon from second. Nixon extended the inning with a two-out walk, advancing to second on a passed ball before Serrano III ripped a single on a 2-1 pitch to center field.
Jaxon Lucas, who inherited two runners with nobody out in the seventh, tossed two scoreless innings to keep the Wolfpack within striking distance. Lucas left the bases loaded in the seventh after getting Alberto Osuna to ground into an inning-ending fielder's choice. Catcher Jacob Cozart then finished off a scoreless eighth for Lucas with a dart to second base, notching his 10th caught stealing of the season.
Cozart's defensive gem provided momentum to the Wolfpack offense in the bottom of the eighth as Josh Hogue and Alec Makarewicz led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Brandon Butterworth then lined a one-out RBI single to center field to trim the deficit to 4-3.
Cozart tied the score at 4-4 after a wild pitch from North Carolina reliever Matthew Matthijs allowed him to advance 90 feet for the tying run. Butterworth also advanced into scoring position on the wild pitch before a groundout to second base moved him to third base with two outs. Tar Heel catcher Luke Stevenson then muffed an offering from Matthijs to allow Butterworth to speed home from third base for the game-winning run.
Jacob Dudan nailed down his team-high fourth save of the season in the ninth, retiring the Tar Heels in order with back-to-back groundouts to Luke Nixon and a strikeout of North Carolina centerfielder Vance Honeycutt to end the ballgame.
NC State plated its first run in the bottom of the third to draw the score level at 1-1. Garrett Pennington smacked his first of a team-high three hits with his team-best 16th double of the season to score Serrano III.
Lucas earned his first-career win with his scoreless seventh and eighth frames, striking out two Tar Heels without allowing a hit. Matthijs (11-3) suffered the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) in relief.
Wolfpack starting pitcher Dominic Fritton delivered a season-high six innings for NC State, allowing just four hits with seven strikeouts.
The Wolfpack exceled in Friday night's series-clinching victory in hitting with runners on base, going 6-for-17 (.353). The Wolfpack also batted .300 (3-for-10) with two outs, while NC State pitching limited the Tar Heels to just a .111 clip (1-for-9) in two-out opportunities.
Friday night's win seals the Wolfpack's first series victory over North Carolina since 2021. NC State completed the sweep three seasons ago in Chapel Hill from March 26-29.
UP NEXT
The Wolfpack concludes its rivalry series against the No. 11 Tar Heels on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's series finale is set for 3 p.m. and will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lucas, Jaxon (1-0)
L: Matthew Matthijs (11-3)
S: Dudan, Jacob (4)
Batting:
2B: Colby Wilkerson 1
HR: Vance Honeycutt 1 ; Parks Harber 1 ; Gavin Gallaher 1
RBI: Vance Honeycutt 1 ; Parks Harber 1 ; Gavin Gallaher 1 ; Colby Wilkerson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vance Honeycutt 1 ; Parks Harber 1 ; Gavin Gallaher 1 ; Alex Madera 1
CS: Alex Madera 1
Batting:
2B: Pennington, Garrett 1 ; Hogue, Josh 1 ; Butterworth, Brandon 1
RBI: Serrano III, Eli 1 ; Pennington, Garrett 1 ; Butterworth, Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Makarewicz, Alec 1 ; Cozart, Jacob 1 ; Butterworth, Brandon 1 ; Nixon, Luke 2
HBP: Nixon, Luke 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
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RBI
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2
RBI
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2
RBI
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4
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1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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