Wolfpack Wins Top-10 Series Over Cavs in Final 2024 Road Tilt

No. 23 NC State (29-19, 15-11 ACC) won its final conference road series of the season with two victories over No. 10 Virginia (37-14, 15-12 ACC).

Game One: NC State 7, Virginia 5

The Wolfpack opened its series versus the Cavaliers with a road victory at Disharoon Park Friday evening, 7-5.

Garrett Pennington bolstered State’s offense with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate that included one double, one home run, two runs batted in, and three runs scored. Alec Makarewicz joined Pennington in the multi-hit club for the game while adding another RBI, and Brandon Butterworth also hit a home run.

Sam Highfill (5-1, 5.01 ERA) earned the win after a quality start in which he allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six UVa batters over six innings. Jacob Dudan finished the game on the mound for the Pack, fanning three Cavs and allowing two runs and two hits and two walks to pick up his fifth save of the season.

NC State wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard as Eli Serrano, III led off the game with a single, moved to third on a double by Pennington, and scored on an RBI base hit by Makarewicz. However, the Wahoos took the lead in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run home run by Jacob Ference.

The score remained locked at a two-run Virginia lead until the top of the fifth. Pennington reached base on a dropped fly ball before moving to third on another Makarewicz single. While Jacob Cozart grounded into a 1-6-3 double play, Pennington scampered home to cut the Cavs’ lead to one. Butterworth immediately followed with a game-tying home run to left field.

The Pack regained the lead in the top of the seventh inning as Luke Nixon and Alex Sosa hit back-to-back RBI singles off of Chase Hungate (6-1, 3.46 ERA) to drive Pennington and Cozart, respectively, home. One inning later, Pennington hit a two-run shot to left field, also plating Serrano on the play, to make it a 7-3 lead. Eric Becker would trim State’s lead to two with a two-run shot of his own in the bottom half of the eighth, but Dudan would slam the door by retiring five of the next six Cavaliers following Becker’s homer to secure the series-opening W.

Game Two: Virginia 9, NC State 5

The Cavaliers rebounded after Friday’s loss to even the series Saturday afternoon, 9-5.

Dominic Fritton (3-5, 7.41 ERA) got saddled with the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits over 5-2/3 innings despite punching out four batters. Carson Kelly, John Miralia, Jaxon Lucas, and Heath Andrews pitched the remaining 2-1/3 innings and combined to allow three runs on three hits and three walks.

Virginia drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning with a pair of runs. Griff O’Ferrall drove Luke Hanson home with a double while moving to third on an error. Bobby Whalen followed with an RBI single to plate O’Ferrall. One inning later, Henry Godbout doubled Ethan Anderson home to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to three with the Wolfpack yet to score.

Serrano snapped Joe Savino’s (1-1, 1.38 ERA) shutout bid in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI double to bring Matt Heavner home from second base. However, back-to-back home runs by Henry Ford and Ference in the bottom of the frame added three runs for Virginia, putting the score at 6-1 in favor of the Cavaliers.

The Pack chipped away at the UVa lead in the top of the eighth with a pair of runs. Makarewicz drove Serrano home with a base hit to center field. Two batters later, Butterworth reached on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice with Pennington crossing the plate on the play. The Cavaliers would once again answer in the bottom half of the inning as a two-run single by Whalen followed by a one-run double by Casey Saucke brought the score to 9-3 Wahoos.

Pennington drilled a two-run home run over the left-center-field wall in the ninth inning in an attempt to stage a last-minute rally for the Pack. However, Aidan Teel closed out the game for his sixth save of the year, setting the stage for the rubber match the next day.

Game Three: NC State 13, Virginia 5

NC State took the lead in the fourth inning and never looked back as the Wolfpack secured the series win with the victory over Virginia Sunday afternoon, 13-5.

Pennington, Nixon, and Butterworth each homered and drove in three runs apiece against the Cavaliers. Pennington led the team in hits with three on the day while Nixon and Heavner each had a pair.

After Logan Whitaker started on the mound and allowed all five UVa runs over 4-2/3 innings, Cooper Consiglio (3-4, 5.40 ERA) picked up the win after 4-1/3 shutout innings in which he allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three batters on 49 pitches. Bryson Moore (2-1, 1.38 ERA) picked up the loss for the Cavs after giving up two unearned runs without recording an out.

Butterworth fired the opening salvo in the top of the first inning, launching a three-run home run over the wall in left-center field. The Cavaliers snatched the lead back in the bottom of the second with Godbout and Becker hitting back-to-back RBI singles followed by a two-run double by O’Ferrall to make it a 4-3 lead in favor of Virginia.

The Pack regained the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Pennington got the ball rolling with a base hit to bring Heavner home. Makarewicz immediately drove Pennington in to score with a double in the next at-bat before scoring himself thanks to a passed ball and a wild pitch. Cozart, having reached base via walk, took advantage of a dropped fly ball hit by Butterworth and motored his way around the bases to make it a three-run lead. However, that lead would get trimmed to 7-5 in the bottom of the frame on a solo shot by Harrison Didawick.

Pennington padded the lead with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning with Serrano also scoring on the play. One inning later, Nixon led off with a triple before Heavner hit a sacrifice fly to center, making it a five-run lead. Nixon drove the final runs of the game home in the eighth as he crushed his fourth home run of the year over the right-field fence, scoring himself, Cozart, and Pennington.

The Wolfpack wraps up the regular season with a three-game series against No. 12 Wake Forest beginning on Thursday. First pitch from Doak Field is set for 7 p.m.