Saturday, May 31
Auburn, Ala.
3 p.m.
NC State
34-20
12
vs
0
Central Connecticut State
31-17
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
NC State
2
0
0
4
1
0
0
2
3
12
10
0
Central Connecticut
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
3
NC State Avoids Elimination Behind Ryan Marohn’s Eight Scoreless Innings
5/31/2025 7:41:00 PM | Baseball
AUBURN, Ala. – Behind Ryan Marohn's eight innings of scoreless baseball and three home runs from the offense, NC State's tournament run continues after a 12-0 victory over Central Connecticut Saturday afternoon from Plainsman Park.
The Wolfpack (34-20) now await the loser of tonight's Auburn and Stetson matchup and will play either the Tigers or the Hatters on Sunday, June 1, at 2 p.m. CT/ 3 p.m. ET.
The win marked head coach Elliott Avent's 50th postseason victory in his career.
This was the fourth postseason shutout for the Wolfpack and the first since 2021, when they shut out Vanderbilt 1-0 in the College World Series.
Freshman Ryder Woodson, making just his third start of the season and first since March 9th, hit his first career home run and doubled while scoring a run to help the Pack offense. Alex Sosa was 3–3 with a home run and two RBIs. Luke Nixon joined the action with a four RBI day, including a three-blast in the ninth inning.
Ryan Marohn (8-3) kept the Blue Devils scoreless in his eight innings, surrendering just five hits while striking out 10 with no walks. It was Marohn's third game this season he has had 10 strikeouts or more.
For Central Connecticut, Vincent Borghese (10-3) got the loss after lasting 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs in six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Coming into Saturday's game, Aidan Redahan led the NCAA in batting average but was just 1-4 on the day.
Sosa got the offense started early with a two-run home run over the batter's eye in center field. It was Alex Sosa's 10th home run of the season and carried 430 feet.
In the fourth, NC State scored four to break the game open. Brandon Novy Brough home a run on a fielder's choice, and a Blue Devil error secured the win, making it a 4-0 game. With Novy on second, Woodson stepped up and delivered a two-run shot.
The Blue Devils committed three errors in the game, and their second brought in another Wolfpack run as Woodson had his third RBI of the game.
After hitting a home run yesterday, Josh Hogue went 2-4 today and had an RBI. Hogue has now reached base in nine straight games.
The third home run of the game for NC State came from Nixon in the top of the ninth. It was his fifth home run of the season. Tristan Potts came on in the ninth, and after a walk and a single, Potts got the final two outs to preserve the shutout.
Elliott Avent, NC State head coach…
"Really, really worried about today's game. It's a tough one. If you look at their numbers, Central Connecticut is one of the best-hitting teams in the country. But watching them play, you'll understand where they got those numbers from. Great hitting team, one through nine, do a great job of two-strike hitting. And No. 15 (Aidan Redahan), who just left here (press conference). He's one of the best hitters that I've seen this year. He could really hit. They're gritty, they're tough, like a lot of Northern teams. They play the game to win. They don't play it for stats or numbers. They just play it to win; they're a great ball club, and obviously, one of the reasons we're sitting here now with a win is the guy to my left [SP Ryan Marohn]. He's incredible; he's the enforcer on our ball club. A lot of guys work hard, but he does it all the right way. A lot of toughness, a lot of mental toughness, and it showed out there today."
The Wolfpack (34-20) now await the loser of tonight's Auburn and Stetson matchup and will play either the Tigers or the Hatters on Sunday, June 1, at 2 p.m. CT/ 3 p.m. ET.
The win marked head coach Elliott Avent's 50th postseason victory in his career.
This was the fourth postseason shutout for the Wolfpack and the first since 2021, when they shut out Vanderbilt 1-0 in the College World Series.
Freshman Ryder Woodson, making just his third start of the season and first since March 9th, hit his first career home run and doubled while scoring a run to help the Pack offense. Alex Sosa was 3–3 with a home run and two RBIs. Luke Nixon joined the action with a four RBI day, including a three-blast in the ninth inning.
Ryan Marohn (8-3) kept the Blue Devils scoreless in his eight innings, surrendering just five hits while striking out 10 with no walks. It was Marohn's third game this season he has had 10 strikeouts or more.
For Central Connecticut, Vincent Borghese (10-3) got the loss after lasting 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs in six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Coming into Saturday's game, Aidan Redahan led the NCAA in batting average but was just 1-4 on the day.
Sosa got the offense started early with a two-run home run over the batter's eye in center field. It was Alex Sosa's 10th home run of the season and carried 430 feet.
In the fourth, NC State scored four to break the game open. Brandon Novy Brough home a run on a fielder's choice, and a Blue Devil error secured the win, making it a 4-0 game. With Novy on second, Woodson stepped up and delivered a two-run shot.
The Blue Devils committed three errors in the game, and their second brought in another Wolfpack run as Woodson had his third RBI of the game.
After hitting a home run yesterday, Josh Hogue went 2-4 today and had an RBI. Hogue has now reached base in nine straight games.
The third home run of the game for NC State came from Nixon in the top of the ninth. It was his fifth home run of the season. Tristan Potts came on in the ninth, and after a walk and a single, Potts got the final two outs to preserve the shutout.
Elliott Avent, NC State head coach…
"Really, really worried about today's game. It's a tough one. If you look at their numbers, Central Connecticut is one of the best-hitting teams in the country. But watching them play, you'll understand where they got those numbers from. Great hitting team, one through nine, do a great job of two-strike hitting. And No. 15 (Aidan Redahan), who just left here (press conference). He's one of the best hitters that I've seen this year. He could really hit. They're gritty, they're tough, like a lot of Northern teams. They play the game to win. They don't play it for stats or numbers. They just play it to win; they're a great ball club, and obviously, one of the reasons we're sitting here now with a win is the guy to my left [SP Ryan Marohn]. He's incredible; he's the enforcer on our ball club. A lot of guys work hard, but he does it all the right way. A lot of toughness, a lot of mental toughness, and it showed out there today."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Marohn, Ryan (8-3)
L: Borghese, Vincent (10-3)
Batting:
2B: Fraasman, Brayden 1 ; Woodson, Ryder 1
HR: Sosa, Alex 1 ; Nixon, Luke 1 ; Woodson, Ryder 1
RBI: Hogue, Josh 1 ; Sosa, Alex 2 ; Nixon, Luke 4 ; Novy, Brandon 1 ; Woodson, Ryder 3
SH: Head, Ty 1
SF: Nixon, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hogue, Josh 2 ; Sosa, Alex 3 ; DeCriscio, Justin 2 ; Nixon, Luke 1 ; Novy, Brandon 2 ; Fraasman, Brayden 1 ; Woodson, Ryder 1
SB: Hogue, Josh 1
HBP: DeCriscio, Justin 1 ; Novy, Brandon 1
Batting:
2B: Yaworski, Bo 1
Base Running:
PO: Ducatelli, Antonio 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballAuburn Regional Preview: Elliott Avent on ACC PM
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