UNC-Greensboro jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the second inning but scored only once over the next seven innings, allowing NC State baseball to overcome the early deficit and win 9-6 Tuesday night from the Doak.
After a scoreless first, NC State (19-10) scored runs in the second, third, seventh, and eighth innings to propel them to their 14th win at home and fifth midweek victory. It was the seventh time this year that NC State rallied to win.
Leading the Wolfpack offense was Josh Hogue, who finished 4-5, scoring twice and finishing with two RBIs. Brayden Fraasman hit a three-run home run to kickstart the offense, his team-leading sixth of the season, and Ty Head added three runs batted in to go along with two more walks for 34 on the season.
Jaxon Lucas (1-0) earned his first win of the season and second of his career after coming on in relief. Lucas went 2.2 innings, allowing just one hit, a walk, and three strikeouts. Andrew Shaffner has his best night in a Wolfpack uniform, going a career-high 4.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits, two walks, and struck out a career-best seven batters.
Cooper Consiglio got the start for NC State after a scoreless first; he had trouble in the second, allowing five runs on four hits, finishing with two strikeouts.
The five-run lead would not last long; two walks in the bottom of the second, both of which came home to score on a first-pitch home run from Fraasman, cut the deficit to 5-3.
In the third inning, NC State tied the game on three hits. Chris McHugh led off with a single, and Hogue doubled to put runners on second and third. In 3-1 hitters count, Head singled to right field, bringing in both base runners to tie the game.
In a 5-5 game, UNCG pitcher Rob Ready (1-3) gave up the lead to take home the loss. Ready went three innings, giving up one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Wolfpack stole three bases in the game. In the fourth, after a Luke Nixon walk, he swiped second and put himself in a scoring position. Hogue, in a 2-2 count, found a hole up the middle for a single, scoring the speedy Nixon easily for the first lead of the game for the home team, which they would not give up the rest of the way.
After NC State added an insurance run in the seventh, the Spartans had their chances to even the game in the eighth. Two singles with nobody out put runners on base, and they moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt. A ground out to second made it a one-run game. With two outs, a man on third, Shaffner ended the threat with a strikeout.
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth came around to score for NC State as another Hogue single pushed it back to a two-score game before Justin DeCriscio executed a sacrifice bunt for the Pack's ninth run.
Shaffner would send the Spartans down 1-2-3 in the ninth with two more strikeouts to give him his team-leading third save of the season.
UP NEXT: NC State is now prepared to host Virginia for a conference series beginning on Friday, April 4th, at 6 p.m. Games one and two will be broadcast on ACCNX, with the third game being nationally televised on ACC Network at 3 p.m.
