NC State defeated Elon 21-2 Tuesday night at Doak Field to continue its strong start to the season behind senior first baseman Evan Edwards who had six RBIs on the evening, including a three-run home run and junior shortstop Will Wilson who tallied in four RBIs.
The pitching staff for the Wolfpack (24-1) brought its “A” game tonight striking out a total of 19 Elon (13-12) batters and only giving up one earned run. Starting pitcher junior Alec Barger had his best outing of the year working five innings while allowing two runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits, striking out 10 and picking up the win.
“All my pitches were feeling pretty good today,” Barger said. “It felt really good in the bullpen. I threw a bullpen over the weekend that felt pretty good so I was pretty confident with all my pitches coming into the game and I think when I have all of them like that strikeouts are more likely.”
The Wolfpack bats started right where they left off in Miami. In the first inning, Edwards hit a monstrous three-run home run to left-center field, his team-leading eighth, scoring Wilson and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey to give NC State a 3-0 lead.
“I think it was just carrying over from the sweep we got down in Miami,” Edwards said. “The energy we had there, that just carried over to tonight’s game.”
NC State added more runs in the second inning on an RBI fielder’s choice from sophomore left fielder Jonny Butler that scored sophomore second baseman David Vazquez. The Wolfpack was far from done as Wilson hit a two-run bomb to left field that scored Butler. A bases-loaded walk to junior designated hitter Brad Debo scored Bailey, and during the next at-bat, a wild pitch scored Edwards.
Vazquez came back around to hit and knocked a bloop single into left-center field that scored Debo and freshman center fielder Tyler McDonough to give NC State a commanding 10-0 lead. This capped off a seven-run inning for NC State.
“[We] played very, very well, really proud of the guys,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “Couldn’t practice yesterday; it’s hard to play a game after you don’t practice and I thought their focus was outstanding. I thought we came very ready to play.”
Elon responded with a run in the third inning on an RBI fielder’s choice, but in the bottom half, NC State got it back. With the bases loaded, Edwards smoked a liner to right-center field that cleared the bases and gave NC State a 13-1 lead.
Elon was able to scratch an unearned run in the fourth after an error by junior right fielder Lawson McArthur which advanced Elon’s Adam Spurlin to third base. The next batter hit an RBI sac fly to center to give the Phoenix its second run of the night.
With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Wilson singled up the middle to score Vazquez and freshman Vojtech Mensik, which gave NC State a 15-2 lead. The Wolfpack kept pouring on runs in the fifth inning when McArthur hit an RBI double to left field and an RBI fielder’s choice from Mensik brought the total to 17 runs.
The Wolfpack started the sixth inning off with a bang. On the very first pitch, freshman pinch-hitter Marek Chlup launched a home run to left-center, the first of his career, to give the Wolfpack an 18-2 lead.
Junior Mathieu Gauthier entered to pitch the top of the seventh for the Wolfpack, replacing freshman Andrew Tillery who struck out the side in his one inning of work, allowing just one hit.
Sophomore Devonte Brown took one for the team as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. The pitcher, Gauthier, who stayed in the game to hit, stroked a base hit to right field that scored McArthur and Mensik in his first career at-bat.
NC State was held scoreless for the first inning all game in the eighth before Gauthier came back out to pitch the ninth and recorded a groundout and two strikeouts to end the game.
“The main thing you have to do is keep your focus,” Avent said. “You don’t just show up. We pride ourselves for being blue-collar, playing every day and coming to play and liking to play. And if you like to play this game then you play it hard all the time; that’s what really liking this game is all about.”
NC State will be at it again Wednesday against NC A&T for a 6 p.m. first pitch at First National Bank Field in downtown Greensboro.
