The bats stayed hot for the NC State baseball team Friday afternoon in howling winds at Doak Field, as the Pack powered four home runs to topple Bowling Green 11-1 for head coach Elliott Avent’s 800th win at NC State.
Junior designated hitter Evan Edwards launched two long balls to front the Pack’s (9-1) offensive attack, as senior right fielder Brock Deatherage and freshman catcher Patrick Bailey also joined in on the home run party. The win over the Falcons (2-7) marked the seventh straight victory for the Wolfpack, with State scoring at least nine runs in all seven games.
“I was feeling great,” Edwards said. “This is one of the best offensive teams that I’ve been a part of. We’re just going to have a really successful year. It’s going to be fun.”
With the four home runs Friday, NC State now has 21 on the season. After coming into the game tied for fourth in the NCAA in home runs, the Pack jumped South Carolina to sit alone in third place just one long ball back of the leaders.
Senior lefty Brian Brown (3-0, 0.50 ERA) started on the mound for the Pack and was credited with his third win of the season in as many games. Brown bent but didn’t break in this one, as he allowed no runs over five innings despite facing a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and two runners on in the fifth.
“I feel great,” Brown said. “Today’s not exactly how I wanted it to go, but still put zero runs up on the scoreboard so can’t complain about that. Defense played good behind me with the weather conditions.”
Brown was able to work out of both those situations with big strikeouts, as the crafty senior piled up seven punch outs on the day while walking three batters. Freshman lefty Reid Johnston (0-0, 2.45 ERA) was also effective on the mound for the Pack, allowing one earned run over two innings of relief. Freshman lefty Connor Centala (0-0, 0.00 ERA) finished the game off with two scoreless innings.
“I was just really proud of the way we played today,” Avent said. “We played really sound defense in this wind. I thought Brown without his fastball command made some really big pitches for us, which is just who he is. I thought we played really well. We had some great at-bats.”
For the Falcons, righty Zac Carey (1-1, 7.56 ERA) took the loss, allowing five earned runs and eight hits over five innings of work.
The scoring for the Wolfpack started in the second inning, as NC State tallied three runs on three hits highlighted by a leadoff homer from Edwards. The Pack got two more runs, as sophomore catcher Brad Debo and redshirt sophomore Dillon Cooper drove in runs with a sacrifice groundout and RBI single, respectively.
Home runs continued to power the Pack, as Deatherage made it 4-0 in the fourth inning. Deatherage got absolutely all of a 1-1 pitch, sending it off the batter’s eye in center field for his fourth home run of the season after hitting just three last year.
Brown found some trouble in the middle of the game, getting into a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and another tough spot in the fifth. However, the senior pitcher was able to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard, recording huge strikeouts to end each inning.
“Knowing that I’m just one pitch away,” Brown said. “I didn’t really have any clean innings honestly. But knowing that I’m just one pitch away from getting out of it pushes me through.”
Edwards added his second long ball of in the fifth inning, pulling it hard to right field to score two and put NC State up 6-0.
Bailey, who was pinch-hitting for freshman second baseman J.T. Jarrett, launched the second home run of his career in the sixth inning. Bailey, who is a switch-hitter, was batting left-handed and pulled a pitch hard down the right-field line and over the wall to push the Pack ahead 8-0.
Bowling Green tallied its lone run in the seventh inning on an RBI single by pinch-hitter Joe McGuinness. The Wolfpack added two more runs in the eighth inning, as sophomore shortstop Will Wilson doubled down the left-field line to score two and push NC State ahead 10-1. Deatherage singled home another run later in the inning.
The Pack will be back in action Saturday at Doak Field against Campbell, and will host Canisius Sunday afternoon.
