3/29/2021 baseball Edit

Wolfpack baseball dominates UNC in road sweep

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

Amidst a struggling start to the season, not much could possibly make a NC State Wolfpack baseball team feel better about itself than winning a series against archrival UNC.

Unless that series win came in Chapel Hill.

Or unless that series win in Chapel Hill was a clean three-game sweep, the first there since 1992 for NC State.

The fact that UNC was ranked as high as No. 11 nationally among the various college baseball polls probably made it sweetest.

That is exactly what happened for Elliott Avent’s squad in a prolonged series that featured two delays due to inclement weather.

NC State rode a pitching staff that has struggled at times this year to the sweep. It started Friday when junior Reid Johnston, making his first start of the season, threw a complete game in a 9-2 win. Sophomore third baseman Vojtech Mensik’s second-inning grand slam gave Johnston all the cushion that he needed.

NC State Wolfpack baseball Aaron Murr — First baseman Aaron Murr's hot bat was enough to make stellar pitching hold up. (NC State media relations)

Freshman Sam Highfill may have been on his way to matching Johnston's complete game had rain not stalled Saturday’s game in the bottom of the eighth. At that point, Highfill had allowed one earned run on five hits through seven innings, walking one while striking out four. His pitch count was at 91 pitches.

A planned doubleheader on Sunday was delayed to Monday in anticipation of more inclement weather. Freshman Matt Willadsen would pitch the final two innings in the 6-1 Wolfpack win that secured the series win. Two-run homers by junior designated hitter Terrell Tatum and junior first baseman Aaron Murr provided most of the offense.

Willadsen was back on the mound in game three, and went into the eighth inning with impressive efficiency. He allowed seven hits and three earned runs but only walked one batter and threw 85 pitches. It was after his lone walk that he turned the ball over to junior lefty Evan Justice, who struck out two while not allowing a hit in the final 1.2 innings of an 8-3 NC State win.

Murr’s two-run double in the top of the second helped NC State jump out to a 5-0 lead in game three before UNC’s second turn at bat, and for good measure Murr added a two-run shot in the top of the seventh.

Using only four pitchers all weekend should help NC State’s arms prepare for a quick turnaround to a midweek game at UNC Greensboro on Tuesday.