Wolfpack win ACC opening series versus Virginia Tech

NC State was just one horrendous inning away from a sweep of the Hokies

NC State and Virginia Tech bookended their series by exchanging run-rule victories, but the Wolfpack managed to come out on top in the middle game, thus giving State the series win. The Pack now sit at 2-1 in ACC play and 14-6 overall while the Hokies fall to 2-4 in league play and hold an overall mark of 13-7.

Friday’s opener was a tight affair with Virginia Tech holding a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 5th inning. Drew Lanphere started that inning off with a single and then moved to 2nd base on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Heavner. With small ball in mind trying to tie things up, Ty Head went ahead and gave the Pack their first lead of the weekend.

Justin DeCriscio followed up Head’s homer with a double. Two batters later, Chris McHugh sent a no-doubter into the visiting bullpen.

Taking DeCriscio’s lead, Alex Sosa followed McHugh’s blast with a double and then came around to score on a missed infield pop up from Luke Nixon.

A four-run lead was all that was needed on the night, but State went ahead and put up another five-spot in the 6th inning. Lanphere again started the inning off with a single and Heavner again bunted him over to 2nd base. After Head fouled out to the catcher, DeCriscio singled home Lanphere to make the score 6-1.

Josh Hogue singled and McHugh wore a pitch to load the bases for Sosa, who singled home a pair of runs. Nixon walked to again load the bases, with Brayden Fraasman bringing in another pair of runs on a single to push the lead to 10-1.

DeCriscio, Hogue, and McHugh put together back-to-back-to-back one-out singles in the 7th for the “walk-off” mercy rule win.

Dom Fritton (3-1) was again dominant on the mound for State, tossing a complete game (7.0 IP), allowing 2 hits, 1 run (earned), with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts. Both of Fritton’s walks came in the opening frame, helping the Hokies to their lone run of the night.

Fritton’s last three starts combined: 19.2 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 28 K.

DeCriscio (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI), McHugh (3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, HBP), Hogue (2-for-5, R), Lanphere (2-for-3, 2 R, BB) each had multiple hits in the Friday win, while Nixon (1-for-3, BB, 0-1 SB) and Head (1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB) also reached base safely multiple times.

With the impending nasty weather on Sunday, Saturday became a doubleheader.

Game 2 – that is, the first game on Saturday – was the tightest game of the weekend. State made the first mark on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning. Nixon singled with one out and stole 2nd base with two strikes on Heavner, advancing to 3rd on a bad throw by the VT catcher. That didn’t matter as Heavner put the next pitch into the Hokies bullpen for a 2-0 Pack advantage.

Virginia Tech pulled to within one on a Sam Tackett inside the park home run in the 4th inning. Tackett hit a line drive off the wall in right field that Fraasman came up just short of snagging. Fraasman crashed hard into the wall, appearing to injury his left wrist, and the ball caromed back towards the infield, allowing Tackett to make his way around for the homer.

Jackson Cherry tied the game with a leadoff home run for the Hokies in the 5th inning. VT then took the lead at 3-2 with some small ball in the 6th inning.

State finally responded with a single run in the 7th inning thanks to a Nixon leadoff bunt single, a Lanphere single to move Nixon to 3rd, and then a Heavner RBI sac bunt.

The score stayed there until the bottom of the 8th. Hogue and McHugh started the inning with back-to-back walks and then Sosa bunted them both up a bag. Jet Gilliam hit a deep sacrifice fly to plate Hogue and give State the lead at 4-3. One batter later, Nixon gave State a pair of insurance runs.

Andrew Shaffner finished off the game with three quick outs – two via strikeout – in the 9th, securing the series win for State.

Nixon (3-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1-1 SB) was the only Pack player with multiple hits in Game 2, although McHugh (0-for-2, R, BB, HBP) and Head (1-for-2, BB) reached base safely multiple times. Heavner’s (1-for-2, HR, R, 3 RBI, sac bunt) impact on the game should not be understated either.

Heath Andrews (5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) and Shaffner (3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K) combined to keep the Hokies enough at bay throughout the game. When your pitchers don’t provide any freebies, you’re going to put yourself in a good position to win any game. Shaffner improved to 3-0 on the season with the win.

The less said about the series finale, the better. After Fritton, Andrews, and Shaffner showed excellent control through the first two games, Wolfpack hurlers struggled with control all day, and an epic 14-run meltdown in the 6th inning doomed State, keeping the Pack from a series sweep. State used seven pitchers in the game, and the last one (Carson Kelly) was the only one to not issue a walk in the game.

The lone nicety to mention from that final game against VT is that the Pack lineup stayed pretty hot, putting up 8 runs in 7 innings. Sosa (3-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI) had a multi-hit effort while DeCriscio (1-for-3, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB), Hogue (1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Lanphere (1-for-3, R, RBI, BB), and Head (0-for-1, 2 R, 3 BB) reached base safely multiple times.

NC State is set to play a midweek game in Kannapolis this Tuesday against Davidson, with the game apparently set to be broadcast on YouTube. Next weekend will be the first true road series of the season for the Pack9 as they’ll head to Pitt (11-7, 1-2 ACC). That series will on the ACCNX.