NC State baseball cruised through a midweek win over the Davidson Wildcats 22-7 on Tuesday night at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After getting off to a slow start, NC State (25-11) desperately needed to find some answers. Starting in the third inning, the tide quickly turned as the Wolfpack put up a staggering 22 total runs over the remainder of the game. The pitching rotation also played a key role in the win as it was ultimately too much for Davidson (21-14) to handle.
Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Baker Nelson started on the mound for the Pack. He struggled early on, allowing four runs during his 2.1 innings. This included a two-run homer off the bat of Tyler Douglas. The Pack turned to its bullpen to quell a feisty Davidson squad, and only allowed two more runs the rest of the night. Both junior lefty Rio Britton and freshman righty Andrew Shaffner put up impressive performances, combining for nine strikeouts while preventing any hits or runs.
Meanwhile, NC State woke up at the plate, starting in the bottom of the third when sophomore designated hitter Will Marcy came to the plate with two men on base. He smacked a double to bring both home, getting the Pack on the board. Shortly after, reigning National Player of the Week junior third baseman LuJames Groover drilled a homerun to bring the Pack within one, 5-4.
The Pack’s offense continued to roll heading into the fourth inning. Freshman catcher Cannon Peebles got the party started with a triple, driving in junior left fielder Carter Trice. Groover continued his strong day when he came to the plate a few at-bats later and notched two more RBIs to further extend the lead to three runs.
As the fourth inning continued, the Pack collected four straight walks, which allowed a pair of runs before Peebles returned to the plate with the bases loaded. He did not blink, crushing a grand slam to cap off a ten-run inning as the Pack enjoyed a sudden 15-5 lead. Freshman first baseman Eli Serrano went on to hit a sacrifice fly to bring home a runner, extending the lead to 11 by the end of the fifth inning
Heading into the sixth inning, it appeared as if NC State would ride out the large lead it had accumulated. However, showing no signs of cooling down, the Pack had another dominant frame similar to the fourth. Davidson’s pitching staff continued to struggle as two more batters were walked which resulted in two more scores for the Pack. Before the inning was over, Serrano drilled a single which scored two more runs and extended the Pack’s lead to 20-5.
In the seventh, Davidson struck back at the Pack with three straight base hits and an error allowed a Wildcat run. Following this, Davidson collected a pair of walks to load the bases. Despite hitting a batter and allowing another run, the Pack escaped the jam mostly unscathed as the score rested at 20-7.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Pack continued its relentless attack as two men got on base in part to a Wildcat fielding error. Redshirt sophomore second baseman Carson Falsken helped bring in one as he hit a sacrifice line out. In the next at-bat, freshman pinch hitter Isaiah Barkett helped force another Davidson fielding error as he hit a single to cap off the Pack’s scoring.
Even though several players for the Pack shined today, Groover and Peebles enjoyed the most success. Both combined for four hits, two of which were home runs. They also contributed a total of ten RBIs. Groover, who has enjoyed plenty of recent success, put up a season-high five RBIs.
The Pack will be back in action this Friday when it hosts the Clemson Tigers. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
