DUGOUT REPORT: Wolfpack Beats Gamecocks, Advances to Regional Final

No. 11 NC State’s Elliott Avent, Garrett Pennington, and Derrick Smith met with the media following the Wolfpack’s 6-4 win over South Carolina in the 2024 NCAA Raleigh Regional Saturday evening.

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

NC State (35-20) advanced to the 2024 NCAA Raleigh Regional finals with the win over South Carolina (37-24) Saturday evening at Doak Field, 6-4.

Dominic Fritton started on the mound and allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings. Cooper Consiglio (5-4, 4.97 ERA) succeeded Fritton and earned the win after 2-1/3 innings of relief in which he also yielded a pair of runs to the Gamecocks on three hits and one walk. Smith netted his sixth save of the year after slamming the door on South Carolina with 1-2/3 shutout innings during which he struck out four batters.

Pennington crushed his 15^th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning to open the game’s scoring. Two innings later, Will Tippett tied the game with a solo home run of his own, his seventh of the year. The stalemate would not last long.

With the game tied at one apiece in the bottom of the third inning, Eli Serrano, III reached base with a one-out single. Pennington followed the base hit with his second home run of the game, his 16^th of the year, to make it a 3-1 advantage for the regional host.

Dylan Brewer cut NC State’s lead in half in the top of the fifth inning, knocking his fifth home run of 2024 over the right-field wall. However, Serrano would lead off the home half of the frame with a deep fly ball that landed in the Wolfpack bullpen for his seventh homer of the season, making it a 4-2 lead.

The Gamecocks knotted the score at four apiece in the top of the seventh inning. Talmadge LeCroy led off with a double down the left-field line. Two batters later, Brewer joined Pennington in the multi-homer club for the game, drilling a two-run shot over the right-field wall for his sixth four-bagger of the year. Again, the Wolfpack would waste little time before breaking the tie in the home half.

Serrano singled off of Connor McCreery (3-1, 4.37 ERA) in State’s first at-bat following the seventh-inning stretch. Pennington and Jacob Cozart each walked shortly thereafter to load the bases before Matthew Becker issued a free pass to Alex Sosa to plate Serrano for the go-ahead run. NC State would get another insurance run one inning later as an error by Dalton Reeves allowed Matt Heavner to score from third base.

The Wolfpack will next play on Sunday at 6 p.m. against the winner of South Carolina’s game versus James Madison. First pitch between the Gamecocks and Dukes is set for noon.