Coming off of their record-breaking weekend, the N.C. State baseball team needed extra innings to beat in-state rival Campbell by the score of 9-8 Tuesday at Doak Field. Sophomore Andrew Ciencin supplied the heroics for the Pack, driving in Senior Dallas Polk in the eleventh inning for the game-winning run.
“Andrew’s a tough, hard-nosed player,” coach Elliott Avent said. “He provides great leadership for our team and is just a flat-out winner. Some guys just have a knack for knowing how to win and Andrew certainly has it.”
State had an offensive explosion this past weekend against La Salle, scoring a Wolfpack record 65 runs in a three-game span, eclipsing the previous record of 61 runs set in 2002. That did not intimidate the Camels however, as they have played the Pack well recently, winning both match-ups last season.
“Campbell is well-coached, scrappy, and simply a good baseball team,” coach Avent said. “They don’t quit, they fight, and they all the things a good baseball team should do.”
Along with the game-winning hit, Ciencin finished the contest with five hits in seven at-bats including three RBI.
Senior centerfielder Kyle Wilson had an equally impressive game, finishing 5-for-6 with two RBI and four runs scored. Like many players on the Wolfpack team, Wilson has seemed to find his groove at the plate early on this season, collecting ten hits in his last fourteen at-bats.
“It feels good,” said Kyle Wilson regarding his early success this season. “I’m seeing the ball well and I’ve worked hard with my hitting coaches to smooth out my swing.”
Junior pitcher Jake Buchanon also turned in a strong performance, limiting the Camels to only one hit in five and two-thirds innings while striking out three batters. Buchanon helped the Pack build a 5-0 lead through the first six innings of play.
“Everything Jake Buchanon did was phenomenal,” coach Avent said, “but that’s just the way he’s been for us ever since he came here to State.”
After assembling a 5-0 Wolfpack lead, Campbell responded in the seventh inning as senior Kevin Nelson doubled down the leftfield line, scoring senior Bryan Braswell and freshman Bryce Grady to push the score to 5-2.
State answered right back scoring three runs of their own. Freshman shortstop Matt Bergquist had an RBI single which scored Dallas Polk and was followed by a single from Senior Kyle Wilson which scored Bergquist. Ciencin brought Wilson across home plate with a double to leftfield, pushing the Wolfpack lead to 8-2.
The Camels’ bats started to come alive in the later innings however as they posted 3 runs in the eighth inning making the score 8-5.
After a solid pitching debut over the weekend, Russell Wilson was called upon to close out the game for the Pack. Wilson struggled in the ninth inning allowing three earned runs as Campbell evened the score at 8-8.
Thanks to the clutch hitting of Ciencin, the Wolfpack prevailed in a hard-fought game to improve their record to 4-0 while Campbell drops to 2-2.
“Right now we’re still just working on the little things, trying to get the fundamentals in place especially defensively, said Polk. “We’re trying to take just one game at a time. We’re happy where we are right now but all of us know we have to keep working hard.”
The Wolfpack will travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C. this weekend to participate in Baseball at the Beach, a competitive baseball showcase hosting No. 6 UC Irvine, No. 14 Coastal Carolina, and James Madison.
