Not even the rain could cool down the bats of the NC State baseball team Monday afternoon at Doak Field, as the Pack rode an eight-run seventh inning to beat Air Force 15-5 for its sixth straight game with at least nine runs.
Sophomore shortstop Will Wilson blasted a game-tying, three-run homer for the Wolfpack (8-1), which entered the seventh inning trailing the Falcons (1-6) 5-2. Three batters later, junior left fielder Brett Kinneman launched a three-run home run of his own off the scoreboard in right field to push the Pack ahead.
“A lot of guys are stepping up,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “I think we have a lot of guys doing a lot of things well. I’m just proud of a lot guys right now.
Kinneman followed up his blast in the seventh with another three-run homer in the eighth inning, as his big flys Monday marked the fourth straight game that the lefty has homered in. Kinneman was named the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and ACC Player of the Week earlier in the day, and has gone 17 for 27 with seven home runs, nine runs scored and 21 RBIs during the Pack’s six-game tear.
“I’m fortunate to get guys on base in front of me, and guys having great at-bats,” Kinneman said. “I just feel really good right now. Being able to get into good counts, being able to get fastballs in those counts to be able to hit.”
With his prolific day at the plate Monday, Kinneman finds himself as the hottest and most productive hitter in the NCAA. With his 19 hits, seven home runs and 23 RBIs on the season, Kinneman sits alone atop all of college baseball in all three categories.
“It’s insane,” Wilson said. “Guys are stepping up like Brett Kinneman. He’s as hot as could be.”
NC State also got home runs from freshman catcher Patrick Bailey and senior first baseman Shane Shepard in the game. With the Pack down 2-0 in the fourth, Bailey laced an opposite-field home run for the first big fly of his career. Shepard piled on to the Pack’s lead late, pulling a two-run shot over the wall in right field to put State up 15-5 in the eighth.
After falling behind 2-0 early, NC State bounced back to tie things at 2-2, scoring on a balk and Bailey’s home run. Air Force then pulled ahead with a three-run seventh inning, scoring all three unearned off of sophomore Michael Bienlien (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who ended up with the win.
NC State answered right back though, with Wilson and Kinneman’s blasts highlighting the huge seventh inning for the Pack that saw State plate eight runs on six hits. Wilson didn’t start the game after missing time this weekend with an injury, but entered in the fourth inning and went 3 for 3.
“It felt really good to get out there and start playing with the guys,” Wilson said. “It’s definitely good to get going again and with people playing good around you, you’ve just got to keep going.”
On the mound for NC State, it was freshmen lefties Nick Swiney (0-0, 2.35 ERA) and Evan Justice (1-0, 4.50 ERA) that stood out. Swiney took over in the fourth inning, replacing sophomore righty Mathieu Gauthier (0-0, 6.75) who started, and proceeded to strike out eight batters in just three innings, allowing only one hit and no runs.
Justice finished the game out for the Wolfpack, striking out four batters over two scoreless, one-hit innings to seal the victory.
“I think Swiney and Justice are one of the reasons we are 8-1 right now,” Avent said. “We got through this stretch because some young guys have stepped up and two of them are Swiney and Justice.”
For the Falcons, righty Nick Biancalana took the loss. Biancalana didn’t record an out in the seventh inning, allowing five earned runs to come across on three hits and two walks. Lefty Ethan Nichols started the game on the bump, throwing 4.2 innings of one-run baseball.
The Pack will now get its longest break since the season started, returning to Doak Field Friday afternoon to host Bowling Green.
