The Doak rose to its feet in the ninth inning, cheering on Anderson Nance to take care of the final batter and cap off a series opener win. Sneaking a backdoor curveball over the corner of the plate, Nance froze the batter and secured a 10-4 victory for NC State.
The Wolfpack (23-11, 7-6 ACC) is now on a five game winning streak, and it made quick work of in-state rival Duke (21-15, 7-9 ACC). The Blue Devils only led in the first inning, but after they jumped ahead early, it didn’t take long for the Pack to reclaim the lead.
The pitching for the Wolfpack held an aggressive Duke team at bay. With the loss of superstar junior Saturday starter Jacob Dudan to a season ending UCL injury, the pitching staff will have to find a way to fill his major role. Junior ace Ryan Marohn did his part in Game 1, knowing he’d have to go multiple innings with every bullpen arm becoming more valuable.
Marohn exited the game with a standing ovation and his sixth win of the year, well-deserving of the praise. He had nine strikeouts and three hits on 101 pitches.
His relief would be met by Sophomore right-hander Anderson Nance. His season-high 67 pitches would be just enough for the Wolfpack, as he came on after Marohn and finish the rest of the game. The two pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts, in comparison to three strikeouts for the Blue Devils.
The Pack effectively saved the rest of the bullpen for the remaining two games of the series. The Blue Devils did the opposite, unloading their bullpen and throwing six different arms, which never had an answer for the Pack bats.
“Marohn went out there and was great, then Nance went behind him and played great,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “They have followed each other a lot this year, and I think they make up a pretty good one-two punch.”
The offense for the Pack was like a well-oiled machine, finding runs not just by hitting, but by baserunning and causing errors. It allowed for a sizable lead to be made, giving confidence to the defense every time it was out on the field. The red-and-white stole three bases, contributing to the win with its legs and athleticism.
“This is one of the fastest teams we’ve had,” Avent said. “Collectively one-through-nine, this is probably the fastest team we have had, and the most athletic team we’ve had.”
The Wolfpack had 12 hits, three of those coming from home runs that ballooned the lead very quickly. Sophomore shortstop Mikey Ryan went nuclear tonight, as he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI’s. Ryan was slumping during the seven-game losing streak, but he has been a key reason for the recent success, getting into a groove at the right time.
“He’s got a lot of athleticism, a good swing and lots of power,” Avent said. “The good thing about [Mikey] is that he’s got a lot of room to get better.”
Redshirt junior catcher Drew Lanphere was another active bat for Avent, as he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while also running the show behind the plate.
“[Marohn and Nance] did awesome, I have confidence in every pitcher in there.” Lanphere said. “Especially as a catcher, to give them confidence and just go pitch-by-pitch, it gives me a lot of confidence understanding them.”
Junior third baseman Sherman Johnson was the other batter to leave the yard, as he hit a two-run homer over the right field wall in the third inning.
The Wolfpack will return to the Doak to face Duke for Game 2 of the series on Saturday, April 11. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
