ATHENS, Ga. — Entering the Athens Super Regional, NC State center fielder Eli Serrano III thought it could become a home run derby with how the ball carries at Georgia’s Foley Field.
In the early going, however, it looked like NC State was going to use small ball to its advantage. It bunted for hits twice in the second inning, which sparked a historic frame for the Wolfpack, and No. 10 NC State used that to power its way past No. 7 Georgia 18-1 in game one of the Super Regional round Saturday afternoon.
Freshman utility Luke Nixon kicked off the scoring with an RBI bunt single, and the Pack followed that with a sophomore second baseman Matt Heavner bunt to load the bases.
After that, well, NC State blew the doors off the game.
The Wolfpack put together an 11-run inning — the program most in a single frame in a Super Regional and the second most in NCAA history — to take a commanding lead on the road.
NC State sent 15 batters to the plate in the frame, but the first 10 all found a way on with nine hits and an error to open the second. In all the Wolfpack had 11 hits in the inning, including a three-RBI double from graduate outfielder Noah Soles, who finished 2-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI, and a trio of two RBI knocks.
Although the Wolfpack kicked the inning off with small ball in the infield, it used four extra-base hits in the frame to plate its most runs in an inning this season. A Serrano two-run homer into the trees in right center field seemed to be the loudest hit of the frame, even though it put the Pack up six at the time he left the yard.
By the time NC State’s marathon of a half inning was over, Wolfpack starting pitcher Sam Highfill sat on the dugout bench for more than 30 minutes. But that didn’t seem to rattle the graduate student.
Highfill fired a three up, three down frame in the home half of the second, allowing the Wolfpack to take full control of the Bulldogs.
The Apex, N.C., native was on cruise control for most of the game, too. He went six innings, allowing one run on three hits and held Georgia’s power-hitting lineup in check for the afternoon. Highfill added two strikeouts and three walks in the victory.
NC State was able to extend its lead in the second with a junior catcher Jacob Cozart solo home run before he signaled through the right side to score another run in the fifth. Graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington added to the party with his own solo homer, this one to left field, in the seventh.
But not to be out done, graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz and Cozart hit back-to-back homers to the short porch in right field in the ninth to cap the Wolfpack victory.
In all, the Wolfpack had seven batters record a multi-hit game and it had four players log multi-RBI performances in the win over the Bulldogs. Makarewicz led the way in hits with four and Soles paced the Pack with five driven in.
Now, the Wolfpack is one win away from returning to the Men’s College World Series for the second time in four years. Game two of the Super Regional is set for Sunday at noon at Foley Field, and NC State will serve as the home team with a chance to advance to Omaha.
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