Pennington's Walk-Off Homer Clinches Wolfpack's Sweep Over Irish

No. 22 NC State (18-7, 8-4 ACC) secured the series sweep over Notre Dame (14-12, 2-10 ACC) in dramatic fashion as Garrett Pennington’s three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth walked the Wolfpack off Doak Field for the win Saturday afternoon, 7-6.

The decisive three-run bomb capped off a 4-for-5 performance at the plate for the Wichita State transfer. Pennington had also blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, giving him four runs batted in for the day.

Dominic Fritton started on the mound for State but was lifted midway through the fifth inning after allowing three runs on two hits and two walks despite striking out five batters. Jaxon Lucas surrendered a run and left after recording one out, allowing Shane Van Dam to toss 3-1/3 shutout innings in which he struck out a pair of Fighting Irish batters while yielding just one hit. Derrick Smith (2-0, 16.87 ERA) got the call to pitch in the ninth inning, and despite giving up Notre Dame’s two go-ahead runs in the inning, the White Bear Lake, Minn. native earned the victory for his sole inning thrown.

The Irish struck first in the top of the third inning as David Glancy drove Estevan Moreno home with an RBI single, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Connor Hincks that plated T.J. Williams. Pennington answered in the bottom of the fourth with his aforementioned solo home run to cut Notre Dame’s lead in half, 2-1.

Two more runs would be added to the Fighting Irish scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Glancy again brought Moreno to home plate with a base hit before he eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk to Jack Penney to make it a three-run ballgame. The Pack would match that inning’s output in the sixth as RBI groundouts by Jacob Cozart and Josh Hogue brought Brandon Butterworth and Pennington, respectively, to home plate.

Hogue plated the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Alec Makarewicz reached base on a one-out single, then stole second base on a full-count strikeout. With the East Carolina transfer in scoring position, Hogue grounded a base hit up the middle to drive Makarewicz in. However, Glancy would crush a two-run home run in the next frame to give the Irish the lead, 6-4.

Chase Nixon would catalyze the Wolfpack’s offense in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out single before Andrew Shaffner replaced him on the base paths. However, Luke Nixon would take over on first base on a fielder’s choice that resulted in Shaffner becoming the second out of the inning. Butterworth then laced the first pitch he saw from Ricky Reeth (1-3, 5.47 ERA) into center field for a single, bringing Pennington to the plate for the decisive blow.

NC State will next welcome No. 15 East Carolina to Doak Field for a midweek matchup on Tuesday, April 2. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.