DUGOUT REPORT: Wolfpack Bullies Bulldogs, Advances to Face Gamecocks

No. 11 NC State’s Elliott Avent, Sam Highfill, and Alec Makarewicz met with the media following the Wolfpack’s 9-2 win over Bryant in the 2024 NCAA Raleigh Regional.

NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch the Pack’s press conference.

NC State (34-20) opened the 2024 NCAA Baseball Championship Tournament with a dominant win over Bryant (36-20) Friday evening at Doak Field, 9-2.

Makarewicz led the way for the Wolfpack with a dominant 4-for-5 performance at the plate. The Longwood, Fla. native notched three doubles, three runs batted in, and two runs scored on the night. 

Highfill (6-2, 5.35 ERA) picks up the win after tossing six innings in which he struck out four batters while allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. Jacob Dudan relieved Highfill and slammed the door on the Bulldogs to record his sixth save of the season, fanning six batters over three innings.

Jackson Phinney connected on his eighth home run of the year in the top of the second inning to start the scoring for Bryant. The Wolfpack would answer in the bottom of the third with three runs. Garrett Pennington and Makarewicz led off with back-to-back doubles with Pennington scoring the tying run. Brandon Butterworth drove Makarewicz home two batters later with a base hit through the right side. After stealing second base and moving to third on a double by Alex Sosa, Butterworth extended the lead to two by scoring on Luke Nixon’s sacrifice bunt.

Noah Soles padded the lead further in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nixon drew a leadoff walk before moving to second on a sac bunt by Matt Heavner to bring Soles to the plate. The Thomasville, N.C. native then pummeled the first pitch he saw from Austin Wainer (7-3, 4.52 ERA) over the right-field wall for a two-run shot, his fourth home run of the season.

Soles’ homer catalyzed what would end as a four-run inning. Eli Serrano, III followed the two-run blast with a base hit with Pennington doubling immediately after. Makarewicz and Butterworth hit RBI singles to plate Serrano and Pennington, respectively. The Pack led heading into the seventh, 7-1.

Carmine Petosa and Matt Smith hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the seventh inning with Smith’s two-bagger bringing Petosa home to cut the NC State lead to five, chasing Highfill from the game. However, Dudan nipped Bryant’s attempted rally in the bud by retiring the next three Bulldogs in order, notching a pair of strikeouts in the process.

The final two runs for State came in the bottom of the eighth. Makarewicz doubled to drive Serrano home before Sosa walked with the bases loaded three batters later to bring him home.

The Wolfpack will face South Carolina who advanced in the winner’s bracket after a walk-off sacrifce fly in extra innings against James Madison in Friday’s opening game.