South Raleigh News

NC State's baseball team secured a 9-2 victory over Bryant in the opening game of the NCAA Raleigh Regional at Doak Field. The top-seeded team, holding a 34-20 record and ranked as the No. 10 overall national seed, utilized three multi-run innings to clinch their first home regional win since 2018.

Bryant, with a record of 36-20, initially took the lead with a solo home run in the second inning. However, NC State responded in the third inning with Garrett Pennington and Alec Makarewicz hitting consecutive doubles. Makarewicz's RBI double tied the score at 1-1. Brandon Butterworth followed with a single that gave NC State a 2-1 lead, and Luke Nixon added another run with a sacrifice bunt.

The Wolfpack extended their advantage in the sixth inning by scoring four runs. After Nixon walked, Noah Soles hit a two-run homer to make it 5-1. Makarewicz increased the lead to 6-1 with an RBI single, and Butterworth capped off the inning with another RBI single for a 7-1 score.

Pitcher Sam Highfill delivered an impressive performance in his first postseason start at Doak Field. He pitched into the seventh inning, allowing only two runs on four hits while striking out four batters. Highfill efficiently managed his pitch count to just 75 pitches by using double plays effectively.

Bryant reduced their deficit to 7-2 in the seventh inning before NC State added two more runs in the eighth for a final score of 9-2. Makarewicz contributed his third double of the night for an additional run, and Alex Sosa drew a bases-loaded walk for another.

Jacob Dudan closed out the game by pitching three hitless innings and securing his sixth save of the season while striking out six batters.

Garrett Pennington's performance moved him into fourth place for single-season doubles in NC State history with 25 doubles this season. Alec Makarewicz also entered NC State's top ten list for doubles, tying for eighth place with his season total of 23 doubles.

Makarewicz led NC State offensively with four hits during this game. Both Pennington and Butterworth had two hits each, contributing significantly to their team's success alongside Soles' efforts.

NC State will now face second-seeded South Carolina on Saturday night at 6 p.m., which will be streamed live on ESPN+.