No. 20 NC State drops fifth straight midweek game in extra-innings loss to UNCW
NC State appeared to be on cruise control in the early innings against UNCW on Tuesday night and Doak Field, but a tough inning of relief allowed the Seahawks right back into the game.
UNCW scored three runs in the sixth to tie the game before it used a double off the wall in the 10th to down No. 20 NC State 5-4, marking a season sweep of the Wolfpack this year. It was also the fifth straight midweek defeat for the Wolfpack, which last beat Coastal Carolina 9-8 on March 19 during the week.
NC State was paced offensively by junior catcher Jacob Cozart, who is on a hitting tear as of late. He went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of homers in the game. Cozart, a preseason All-American, has clubbed eight long balls in as many games as he continues to see opposing pitchers well.
“Just going back to what I’ve been doing,” Cozart said. “I’m just doing what I can to help this team win. I wish I could have pulled it out at the end, but overall, just trying to do what I can to help this team.”
Cozart is now hitting .481 with a triple, eight home runs and 17 RBI over the last eight games.
While Cozart led the way against the Seahawks, NC State received quality outings from a pair of freshman pitchers. Lefty Ryan Marohn started and allowed just one run on two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in five innings on the mound. Righty Jacob Dudan, meanwhile, gave the Pack four shutout innings in relief with one hit and five strikeouts.
“Unbelievable,” NC State coach Elliott Avent said of Marohn’s start. “He was really, really good. … We got him to 79 [pitches] and we felt like that was enough. We felt like we had enough in the bullpen to finish that off, but we didn’t.”
Walks didn’t help the Wolfpack
After Marohn shoved in his first start since April 16 against Campbell — a lat pull held him out until he tossed 45 pitches against Ball State on Friday night — the Pack turned to sophomore right-hander Shane Van Dam out of the bullpen.
Van Dam, a former Division III arm, has been steady all season for the red and white in a long reliever role. But he struggled against the Seahawks.
The Cranford, N.J., native faced four batters, allowing a leadoff single before he hit two batters and walked in a run. That stretch allowed UNCW to cut the NC State lead to two before the other two runners came around to score — all three runs were charged to Van Dam.
“We did good out of the bullpen, but Van Dam wasn’t himself,” Avent said. “He’ll get that straight this weekend, hopefully.”
Once the bases were empty, Dudan was able to settle in on the mound and provided the outing NC State needed out of him to stay in the game. The Wolfpack was not able to break the game open, which included a two-run blast being robbed from second baseman Matt Heavner in the bottom half of the inning.
NC State stranded 10 runners in the game, including the winning run at second to end the game in the 10th.
Up Next
NC State heads to No. 7 Florida State for a three-game series in Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend. The Wolfpack is looking to earn its fourth ranked series victory in ACC play this season.
