No. 14 NC State baseball secured a hard-fought 6-5 win over the Towson Tigers at Doak Field.
The game was a back-and-forth battle in which NC State (6-2) had its hands full. After drawing first blood at the beginning of the game, Towson (1-7) clawed back to tie it in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, the Pack loaded the bases, which set the stage for redshirt freshman catcher Drew Lanphere, who won it with a walk-off RBI.
“Bases loaded and infield in, I was really just trying to drive the ball to the outfield.” Lanphere said, “… I was really just trying to put good contact with two strikes and just try to drive the run in.”
In the bottom of the first, the Pack wasted little time getting going, utilizing a pair of walks and a base hit to load the bases. The red-and-white drew one run as junior designated hitter Chase Nixon singled to bring home one runner, giving the Wolfpack an early 1-0 lead.
After a quiet second inning, the offense picked back up in the third as NC State put two runners on base with graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz on deck. The ECU transfer helped start the most productive inning of the Pack’s afternoon by drilling in a run. At the next at-bat, Lanphere also singled to bring in another run. The Pack continued to attack as Nixon flew out to give enough time for another run to cross the plate.
“The approach is always like trying to hit the ball up the middle,” Lanphere said. “[With] guys on base, really just trying to drive that guy in as much as I can.”
In the fourth, Towson responded with a strong sense of urgency. In the prior three innings, graduate right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill minimized offensive production from the Tigers. However, Towson broke through in the fourth, putting three men on base. It capitalized and brought two runners home, cutting the lead to 4-2.
Over the next 2.5 innings, the pitching stepped up to limit any offensive momentum. Highfill bounced back, throwing five innings of two-run ball on three hits while posting five strikeouts.
“I thought he pitched well,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “Command was good on all three pitches, I thought he pitched similar to the old Sam Highfill.”
In the bottom of the seventh, the Pack once again mustered some offense after only posting one hit in the preceding three innings. Back-to-back walks posed a promising opportunity. Once again, Makarewicz came through as he singled to bring in one run to put the lead at 5-2.
Towson fed off of the Pack’s newfound momentum as they also broke through after a few scoreless innings. Filling in for Highfill, freshman right-handed pitcher Jaxon Lucas entered and tossed two scoreless innings. However, in the top of the eighth, the Tigers collected two base hits on Lucas. They used these to their advantage, bringing home both to make the score 5-4. Despite a rough inning, Lucas still managed a strong performance as he tossed three innings in which he managed four strikeouts.
Trouble continued to surface for the Pack in the ninth as Towson pieced together two perfectly placed singles to further threaten the Wolfpack’s lead. To follow this up, they grounded into a fielder’s choice, advancing one runner to third. The Tigers then executed a play in which their player on first ran off the bag sparking a rundown, freeing the runner on third to steal home and tie the game at five apiece.
With the game tied at five, the Pack entered the ninth inning desperate to avoid the upset. NC State wasted little time getting runners on base. After a perfectly placed bunt from Makarewicz and an intentional walk, Lamphere came to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. He answered with a perfect single down the left line, sending the Wolfpack faithful home happy.
After a back-and-forth affair in which the Pack had to dig deep, it found a way to win yet another tight game. As it continues amidst a busy weekend, NC State will look to build momentum off of this game’s result.
“We got some fortunate runs early. And they kept battling, battling and they tied the game.” Avent said. “… Just proud of the way we played that bottom of the ninth, proud of Drew Lanphere.”
The Pack will be back in action tomorrow as it takes on Towson in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one will take place at noon. Both games will be available on ACC Network Extra.
