NC State
3-1
Liberty
4-0
Late Liberty Rally Stuns Wolfpack
2/18/2025 7:31:00 PM | Baseball
Raleigh, NC. – Liberty used a four-run ninth inning Tuesday night to come from behind and beat the 12th-ranked Wolfpack, 9-8 from The Doak, to give NC State their first loss of the season.
With an 8-5 lead in the top of the ninth, Jacob Dudan (0-1) came on, but three walks, an error, and a base hit allowed the Flames to score four unanswered where they would hold off the Wolfpack in the bottom of the ninth to seal the victory.
NC State (3-1, 0-0 ACC) battled back from an early four-run deficit, taking the lead with a Brayden Fraasman home run on the first pitch of the fifth inning. It was Fraasman's second of the season.
Chris McHugh continues his hot start to the season, totaling two hits and three RBIs. McHugh's two doubles came in the clutch. The first tied the game in the fourth, and his second gave NC State a three-run lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Matt Willadsen made his first start since June 3, 2023, against South Carolina. Willadsen would go 2.1 innings, giving up five runs on five hits and two strikeouts.
Cooper Consiglio settled things down in his second appearance of the season by going 1.2 IP and striking out four while allowing no runs.
Freshman pitcher Anderson Nance would see his first collegiate action coming in for Consiglio in the fifth inning. In a great debut, Nance would go three scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and striking out two on the day.
Liberty (4-0, 0-0 C-USA) came out swinging, scoring the game's opening run in the first with an RBI double to right center.
After going down in the first inning, NC State used a leadoff double from Josh Hogue to get started in the second inning. Back-to-back walks and a fielder's choice from Ryan Jaros evened the scoring at 1-1.
The Flames would respond in the following frame with back-to-back hits, including an RBI double. Liberty would keep the runs coming with three RBI singles within the inning to create a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the third.
Consiglio would shut the door on the Flames in a bases-loaded jam with a groundout to second base, ending the inning.
The Wolfpack would get runners in scoring position for Luke Nixon to stay hot, sending a shot into left-center, giving him a two-RBI single. The fourth-inning rally would not end there; McHugh would tie the game for the Pack, ripping a 2 RBI double down the left field line, his first double of the season.
Andrew Shaffner came in for the Wolfpack in the eighth inning, going one inning and keeping the Flames scoreless with one strikeout.
Dudan came on in the ninth, and Flames struck back to take the lead 9-8, sending the game into the bottom of the ninth with NC State unable to come back one more time.
Pitching two innings, Garrett McLaughlin (1-0) got the win after throwing two innings, striking out three while giving up two runs on two hits.
UP NEXT
NC State will travel to the Jacksonville Classic to play Ohio State, Alabama, and Coastal Carolina. The Wolfpack's tournament begins on Friday at 2 p.m. against Ohio State.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McLaughlin, G. (1-0)
L: Dudan, Jacob (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; Sorenson, Jaxson 1 ; Robertson, Michael 1
RBI: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; Sorenson, Jaxson 1 ; Barone, Nick 1 ; Troyer, Camden 1 ; Scilley, Landon 1 ; Swofford, Easton 1 ; Robertson, Michael 2
Base Running:
RUNS: DeCandido, Riley 2 ; Marsh, Tanner 2 ; Sorenson, Jaxson 1 ; Barone, Nick 2 ; Troyer, Camden 1 ; Swofford, Easton 1
SB: Robertson, Michael 1
HBP: Simmons, John 1
Batting:
2B: McHugh, Chris 1 ; Hogue, Josh 1 ; Fraasman, Brayden 1
HR: Fraasman, Brayden 1
RBI: Nixon, Luke 2 ; McHugh, Chris 3 ; Fraasman, Brayden 1 ; Jaros, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nixon, Luke 2 ; DeCriscio, Justin 1 ; Hogue, Josh 1 ; Fraasman, Brayden 1 ; Ossenfort, Matt 1 ; Head, Ty 1 ; Jaros, Ryan 1
SB: DeCriscio, Justin 1
HBP: DeCriscio, Justin 1 ; Ossenfort, Matt 1
