In a must-win series with NCAA Regional at-large hopes in jeopardy, NC State came through with a huge home series win over Miami, capturing the final two games over the Hurricanes. Entering Friday’s action with an RPI ranking in the low-50’s, the Wolfpack moved up 15 spots in the rankings and entered more firm territory. A 3-3 finish in ACC play should secure a Regional at-large bid for State.
The bookend games of the weekend series were similar in fashion, featuring multiple multi-run innings from
both teams. In the opener, the Wolfpack overcame an early 6-0 hole to take a three-run lead following an 8-run 4th inning and a follow-up run in the 5th. NC State was unable to hold the lead, surrendering a 5-run 7th inning to Miami that featured a go-ahead grand slam from Max Galvin, who tortured Pack pitchers all weekend with a 7-for-12 series featuring 2 2B, HR, 4 R, and 6 RBI while striking out just once.
State pounded out 10 hits and worked 6 walks and 4 HBP in the opener, with Christian Serrano (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R) and Chris McHugh (2-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, HBP) having multiple hits in the game. The 8-run 4th inning featured 5 of those hits, 3 of the walks, and 2 of the HBP. The rest of the game was slim pickings for the Pack. Eight State hitters reached base safely multiple times in the game, with Rett Johnson (1-for-4, R, RBI, HBP), Luke Nixon (1-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Ty Head (0-for-3, R, RBI, BB, HBP), Sherman Johnson (1-for-4, 2 RBI, HBP), Dalton Bargo (0-for-3, R, 2 BB), and Brayden Fraasman (1-for-4, R, RBI, BB) joining Serrano and McHugh.
Heath Andrews (4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 0 K) had a bad luck start, inducing a bunch of weak contact from Miami hitters, but a bunch of hits. Aside from the walks, his only real mistake was a dead-red fastball on an 0-1 pitch to Alex Sosa in the 2nd inning, that the former Wolfpack catcher dinked off the scoreboard for a 3-run shot.
Ryder Garino (4.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) pitched well through his first 2.1 innings of relief, but ran into trouble in the 7th, allowing a trio of singles before walking home a run and then giving up the grand slam to Galvin. Sam Harris (0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) was the final State pitcher of Game 1.
Game 2 of the series – and the second game of the Friday double-header – was a completely different story, with State coming close to ending it via run-rule in seven innings. A 6-run Miami frame in that 7th inning prevented an early victory, but State still cruised to a 13-6 win to even the series.
The Pack plated three runs in the 2nd inning on the first career home run from Serrano. The Baby Pepper turned on a breaking ball, depositing it out past the left field wall on his older brother’s birthday.
State tacked on another run via a Nixon double in the 4th inning, plating Serrano who reached with a one-out single earlier in the frame.
The 5th inning is when State pulled away, plating 7 runs on just 3 hits as Miami committed 2 errors and issued another 4 free passes via 3 walks and a HBP. Sherman Johnson had a double in the inning while Head plated two runs with a single in his second at-bat of the frame.
From there, it was a matter of running out the clock. Cooper Consiglio (6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K) was completely dominant through his first six innings before surrendering a walk and a double to start the 7th inning and being lifted. He set a new career-high in strikeouts while picking up his third win of the season.
Aidan Kitchings (0.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K), Collins Black (0.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K), and Sam Harris (1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HBP) poured some gas on the fire in that 7th inning after Consiglio left. Tristan Potts (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP) pitched the remainder of the game, looking the best he has all year and reminiscent of his late-season success from a year ago. If Potts can regain that form, that will go a long ways to helping the depth in the Pack bullpen.
State’s 13 runs in Game 2 came on just 8 hits, but utilized 11 walks and 2 HBP to generate some offense. Nixon (2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Head (2-for-4, R, 3 RBI, BB), and Serrano (2-for-4, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB) had three-quarters of State’s hits in the game. Rett Johnson (1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB), Sherman Johnson (1-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB), Brandon Novy (0-for-1, 2 R, BB, HBP), and Drew Lanphere (0-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, HBP) each reached safely multiple times in the game.
The finale was a dramatic affair, and one of the more entertaining games of the season for the Pack. Luke Hemric allowed a one-out single in a scoreless top of the first, while NC State managed the rare three-hit inning that included a double as the final hit, but didn’t plate a run.
After a three-up, three-down 2nd for Miami, NC State struck first blood in the bottom of the inning. Wyatt Peifer led off with a single and advanced a base on an error. Lanphere laid down a bunt that turned into a single, with an error on the throw to first allowing Peifer to score; however, Lanphere was thrown out by a country mile trying to reach second base. Fraasman grounded out to plate Serrano and give the Pack an early 2-0 lead.
Hemric tossed another three-up, three-down frame in the 3rd while State threatened with a one-out McHugh doubled, but was unable to extend the lead.
The Hurricanes finally got to Hemric in the 4th. Galvin led off with a single and Derek Williams followed suit with one of his own. Sosa walked to the load the bases, with Brylan West singling home two runs to tie the game. A sacrifice bunt resulted in a Peifer throwing error that allowed another runner to score and put two men in scoring position with no out. One out later, Gabriel Milano singled home another run which spelled the end of the night for Hemric (3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K).
Anderson Nance came on to pitch, and although he would allow an RBI single to the first batter he faced, Fabio Peralta, it was the start of a gutsy outing from the sophomore righty.
State went down in order in the 4th while Nance worked around a leadoff infield single and a two-out walk in the 5th to keep it a 3-run game.
Pinch-hitter Andrew Wiggins led off the bottom of the 5th with a single and advanced to third base on a throwing error on a Rett Johnson ground ball to second base. Nixon made that error really costly, as he nuked a full-count, up-and-in fastball into the home bullpen to tie the game.
State would put two more on in the inning with one out, but was unable to take the lead. That appeared to be a big missed opportunity as Miami had their most productive inning against Nance in the top of the 6th. Peralta was hit by a pitch with one out, Jake Ogden followed with a single, and then Galvin doubled home both of them to put the Hurricanes back ahead, 7-5. Nance escaped further damage, inducing a Williams groundout and then striking out Sosa swinging on a full count to end the inning.
Both teams went down in order in their respective following turns at bat, and then the Pack turned on the dramatics after the 7th inning stretch.
Luke “Home Run Trot” Nixon notched the first multi-homer game of his career, leading off the inning by hammering a 1-1 changeup into the Pack bullpen and cutting State’s deficit to a single run.
After a McHugh groundout and a pitching change, Ty Head worked a full count walk which brought about another pitching change. Head stole second base, thanks to a nifty slide, which proved huge as Sherman Johnson came through in the clutch later in that same at-bat.
Peifer flied out to center field, moving Sherman up to third base, and Serrano brought home the go-ahead run with a single on the first pitch of his at-bat with two outs.
Miami threatened in the top of the 8th, notching a one-out single and then loading the bases on a pair of two-out singles. Nance again ended the inning by retiring his former teammate, this time getting Sosa to ground out to short on the first pitch of the at-bat.
With a tenuous one-run lead, the Pack offense put the game away in the bottom of the 8th. Rett Johnson singled with one out and Nixon walked following a pitching change with one out. McHugh flied out to move Rett to third base and Head walked to load the bases. Sherman played off the Hurricanes from there, hitting an absolute tank on a 1-0 offering for a grand slam and a 12-7 Wolfpack lead.
Miami didn’t go down easily, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the 9th thanks to a Peifer error and a pair of singles. Nance focused in from there, striking out Milano and Peralta in back-to-back at-bats before getting Ogden to ground out to Serrano at shortstop to end the game. Nance was clearly pumped, hitting 97 on his third-to-last pitch of the game, #111 of a career-high 113-pitch outing.
It was debated whether Nance should have been brought in during the 7th inning of Game 1 on Friday to try and secure the win there, but State likely doesn’t win Saturday without him powering through. Like Consiglio the night before, Nance (5.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 HBP) set a career-high in strikeouts. After topping 100 pitches for the first time in his career, hopefully Nance’s next outing will be a light one.
Four Pack batters notched multiple hits in Saturday’s series finale: Sherman Johnson (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI), Rett Johnson (2-for-5, 2 R), Nixon (2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB), and McHugh (2-for-5, 2B). Head (1-for-2, 2B, 2 R, 3 BB, 1-1 SB) was the only other State hitter to reach base multiple times in the game.
Rett Johnston (4-for-12, 5 R, 4 RBI, 3 BB, HBP on the weekend) extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a hit in all three games of the series. Luke Nixon (5-for-12, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI, 3 BB) likewise had a hit in all three games and currently sits on a six-game hitting streak. Ty Head (3-for-9, 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 1-1 SB) put together another nice series, while Sherman Johnson (5-for-13, 2 2B, HR, 4 R, 7 RBI, BB, HBP) came through in the clutch time after time on the weekend.
Starting in place of injured shortstop Mikey Ryan, Christian Serrano (6-for-12, 2B, HR, 6 R, 4 RBI, BB in the series) would take home ACC Rookie-of-the-Week honors if the conference put out such an award, especially when combined with his output on Tuesday against ECU (2-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, 1-1 SB). The freshman from Fuquay-Varina had never started a game before this week.
NC State is back in action on Tuesday night with a home tilt against NC A&T, a game the Wolfpack cannot afford to lose as the Aggies rank 278th in RPI.
At 37th in the RPI, 23rd in ELO, 35th in KPI, and 32nd in DSR, the Wolfpack are in solid shape heading down the stretch with ACC series remaining at RPI #115 Stanford and home against RPI #6 North Carolina. A 3-3 finish in those six games should put the Pack in good shape for a Regional berth heading into ACC Tournament play.
Speaking of the ACC Tournament, the Pack currently sit in a tie for 7th place with Virginia with a 12-12 league mark. Virginia Tech sits in 9th place with a 13-14 ACC record. Finishing in the top eight of the ACC standings is huge as it would give State a first-round bye in Charlotte. Since the Hokies have the head-to-head advantage over the Pack, State will need to finish ahead of them in the standings.
Two weekends still to go and a lot can happen, but this was a huge series win for the Wolfpack.
