No. 17 NC State takes series opener from No. 8 Wake Forest

Earlier this year, NC State freshman catcher Alex Sosa received a text from some of his baseball friends about the Wolfpack’s success against ranked teams this year. 

“They’re like, ‘Dude, if they’re ranked, you go after them?’” Sosa recalled. 

He didn’t think that was the case, rather the he thought they play every team hard. But it definitely looks as if ranked teams provide a new challenge for NC State — one it has risen to the occasion all season. The Wolfpack owns four ranked ACC series victories this spring, and it set the tone in the regular season finale in a loud way. 

No. 17 NC State used a seven-run eighth inning, highlighted by Sosa’s walk-off grand slam, to run rule No. 8 Wake Forest 14-3 Thursday night at Doak Field. 

The Viera, Fla., native went 2-for-2 with a single, a pair of walks and the grand slam with a team-best four RBI. 

“We talk about as a team to keep fighting every single game,” Sosa said. “We take nothing for granted and we play every single game like it’s a playoff game to finish out the season strong.”

Though the Wolfpack found a way to coast past Wake Forest in the series opener, the game was a lot tighter than the final score reflected through the first three innings.

After the teams traded blows in the early stages — two runs each, including a graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz solo homer to tie the game — NC State was able to build a lead through manufacturing runs the old fashioned way. 

“I just thought we were opportunistic tonight,” NC State coach Elliott Avent said. “We kept scraping and took advantage of some things.”

The Wolfpack took advantage of a David Falco wild pitch in the fourth to move two runners into scoring position before a balk scored freshman outfielder Luke Nixon from third. That allowed freshman designated hitter Alex Sosa to advance to third and he was driven in on a Serrano groundout. 

NC State continued to take advantage of Wake Forest’s miscues in the fifth as Makarewicz got on via a hit by pitch before he later scored on a Nixon groundout. Butterworth came around to score on a missed pickoff by Demon Deacons catcher Cameron Gill, giving the Pack a three-run lead. 

That was all the cushion NC State needed the rest of the way as freshman reliever Cooper Consiglio was able to blank Wake Forest before the run-rule inning to close the contest. 

Consiglio, a spot starter earlier this season, has emerged as the Wolfpack’s go-to long reliever. He put together yet another elite effort on the mound as he tossed the final 3.2 innings, allowing just one walk and one hit with seven strikeouts on 53 pitches. 

The Palm Harbor, Fla., remained humble postgame, opting to credit his teammates that played stout defense behind him and gave the run support he needed to shut down Wake Forest’s elite batting order. 

“We’re just focusing on the bigger picture and the main goal, which is to keep winning to go as far as we can,” Consiglio said afterwards. 

Winning has been a common theme throughout the last month. The Wolfpack was swept in two early ACC series by Georgia Tech and Louisville, but since the weekend in the Derby City, the red and white has handled business. 

NC State hasn’t dropped a weekend series in that time, earning wins over No. 2 Clemson, No. 11 North Carolina, No. 7 Florida State and No. 10 Virginia to surge through the league standings. 

Avent, the Pack’s 28th-year coach, thought his team “scuffled a little bit early” with the sweeps at the weaker ACC teams, but has rebounded in a major way. 

“We put ourselves in a little bit of a not great situation because getting swept in this league can be detrimental to you,” Avent said. “The big thing we’ve done is won series. We’ve won two out of three a lot against good, good ball clubs. This league is really good.”

Now, NC State has a resume to put itself in the conversation to host an NCAA Tournament Regional at Doak Field in early June. While that’s a few weeks away, the Pack has remained consistent in leaning on one another on the field. 

But it’s paying off in a pivotal way down the stretch, nearly at the perfect time for the Wolfpack. 

“I feel like we’ve been together all year,” Avent said. “I think it’s a very close-knit team. You can’t win unless you are close. … You see how tough this league is and what we’ve done against teams that are top-10, top-15 in the country — they just keep battling.”

Sosa, who broke out of an 0-for-37 streak at the plate last week, had a similar sentiment as his coach. He, however, broke it down simply: it’s all about remaining tunnel visioned to the goal at hand.

“I think it’s a matter of focus,” Sosa said. “When our team’s locked in and the energy’s going well, I’m taking my team against anybody. … I feel like we’ve played well all season, but yeah, we’re playing great right now.”

The Wolfpack is clicking on all cylinders, taking the first of three games from the Demon Deacons. Now, NC State is determined to claim another series win — one that could pay dividends come Selection Monday — this weekend.