NC State advances to Super Regional with 5-3 win over James Madison

The Wolfpack go 3-0 in the Raleigh Regional to 2nd Super Regional in last four years

For the sixth time under Elliott Avent and the second time in the last four years, NC State advances to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack topped James Madison, 5-3, on Sunday night at Doak Field at Dail Park to put themselves two wins away from Omaha.

The Wolfpack will take on the winner of the Georgia vs Georgia Tech Athens Regional final. If Georgia wins, NC State will head to Athens. If Georgia Tech wins, NC State will host the Super Regional in Raleigh.

For the second time today, Mike Mancini was the offense for James Madison. After homering twice in a 2-0 elimination game win over South Carolina earlier on Sunday, Mancini had two more solo home runs on Sunday night and drove in the third Dukes run via an 8th inning double. Thankfully the Wolfpack, Mancini’s heroics weren’t enough on their own and State had an answer for every Mancini RBI, keeping JMU just enough at bay to capture the win.

NC State never trailed in the game despite squandering multiple opportunities.

In the 4th inning, the Pack finally cracked the scoreboard with a 2-run frame. Matt Heavner lead off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and Noah Soles followed with a five-pitch walk. Eli Serrano laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up. After a pop out by Garrett Pennington, Alec Makarewicz was intentionally walked. That ended up backfiring big time for the Dukes as Jacob Cozart and Brandon Butterworth each walked on five pitches in the next two ABs to push across two runs for the Pack.

Mancini responded with his first solo home run of the game in the bottom half of the 4th to cut it to a 2-1 game.

Makarewicz pushed the Pack’s lead back to two runs with a one-out solo home run in the 6th.

Mancini again answered for JMU with his second solo home run of the game – and fourth of the day – in the bottom of the 6th.

The Wolfpack pushed the lead again back to two runs with another score in the 8th. Pennington started the inning off with a single and came around to score one batter later with Makarewicz lined a double to the center field wall.

Mancini, once again, answered in the bottom of the 8th. Fenwich Trimble led off the inning with and double and Mancini was late on a Jacob Dudan fastball, but managed to place it down into the left field corner to score Trimble and cut State’s lead down to a single run at 4-3.

Noah Soles added an insurance run for State with a leadoff solo home run in the top of the 9th.

Thankfully, that insurance run wasn’t needed as Derrick Smith shut the door on any hopes of a comeback with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th.

Makarewicz (2-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB) had a huge game, as did Soles (1-for-2, HR, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB). Cozart (2-for-3, RBI, 2 BB) and Heavner (2-for-4, R) also each tallied multi-hit efforts while Butterworth (1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB) and Alex Sosa (1-for-4, BB) also reached base safely multiple times in the game.

Logan Whitaker got the start on the mound for the Pack and delivered a fine performance. He was shaky at times, but aside from allowing the two home runs to Mancini, he kept JMU off the board with a final line of 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Dudan (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) followed before Smith (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) closed it down for his 7th save of the season.