Sosa’s grand slam powers No. 17 NC State baseball to 14-3 run-rule win over No. 8 Wake Forest

No. 17 NC State Baseball used electric hitting and pitching to seize a series-opening 14-3 win over No. 8 Wake Forest at Doak Field.

Heading into the eighth inning, the Pack enjoyed a 7-3 lead but was searching for more. With one out, NC State (30-19, 16-11 ACC) had two runners on base. It capitalized as graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz singled to bring in one. Wake Forest (36-17, 15-13 ACC) then gave up three consecutive walks, bringing two more runs home and loading the bases.

Coming to the plate, freshman designated hitter Alex Sosa looked to continue the momentum. Instead of furthering the momentous inning, he brought a swift conclusion as he powered a grand slam to right field to end the game via run rule.

“It was definitely a good feeling, off the bat, I knew it was gone,” Sosa said. “It felt awesome, everybody at the Doak was there, the fans are awesome.”

The Pack knew it had its hands full with the high-powered Demon Deacons lineup that has enjoyed wide success this season. After cruising through the first inning, graduate right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill found trouble in the second inning as Wake Forest came to life. In back-to-back at-bats, third baseman Seaver King and second baseman Adam Tellier powered solo homers to give the Deacons an early 2-0 lead.

“[Wake Forest] got a great ballclub,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “Obviously preseason number one — that’s a big time ballclub in a very, very good league.”

It did not take NC State long to respond. In the bottom of the second, junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth ripped a triple on the first pitch he saw. He was immediately driven home by freshman left-fielder Luke Nixon who nabbed a base hit. The Pack loaded the bases but left them stranded, still trailing 2-1. After failing to score in the following inning, the Deacons lost their lead as Makarewicz unloaded a no-doubt homer late in the third inning to tie the game at two apiece.

The Wolfpack continued to accumulate momentum in the fourth inning as it once again quickly put men on base. After spurring a call to the Wake pen, NC State put pressure on Wake’s rotation. A wild pitch brought both runners into scoring position before a balk allowed a run to come home. The Pack was not done as sophomore center fielder Eli Serrano grounded out, which allowed another run to put the score at 4-2.

Heading into the fifth inning, Highfill rebounded after a tough second inning. Forcing two scoreless frames afterward, trouble once again abounded as Deacons’ first baseman Nick Kurtz hit the third Deacon homer of the night to bring the score to within one. The Deacons put two more runners on base which sparked a pitching change to freshman left-handed pitcher Cooper Consiglio. In presumably his final start at Doak Field, Highfill stepped off the field leaving an undeniable impact on his teammates and university alike.

“[Sam’s] been a great leader,” Consiglio said. “I look up to Sam a lot and just the way he does what he does and how he battles. It’s big to have a guy like that.”

Seeming unfazed by the situation, Consiglio fanned both batters and brought an end to the fifth-inning threat, sparking another successful performance for Consiglio. Despite facing adversity in the sixth with the bases loaded, he responded by getting the crucial out and preventing any runs.

Consiglio used the early momentum to spearhead his performance over the ensuing two innings, posting back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to allow the Pack to further its lead and keep momentum on its side. Finishing with 3.2 innings on the mound, he allowed only one hit and prevented any runs while tabbing a career-high seven strikeouts.

“I was throwing a lot of fastballs,” Consiglio said. “I really just wanted to fill up the zone and just let my defense work at quick outs and get us back in the dugout.”

In the meantime, NC State continued to punish the Deacons as a hit-by-pitch and a double put the Pack in scoring position once again. On the hot hand, Nixon again came through and grounded out, allowing one run to come home to make the score 5-3. Later in the inning, with runners on the corners, the Pack scored once again as a fielding error from the opposing catcher allowed time for the sixth run of the day to cross home plate.

“We’ve had a lot of great freshmen here and he [Nixon] is one of them,” Avent said. “When I think of Luke Nixon, I think about he’s a gamer, he’s a baseball player and he’s tough as nails.”

In the sixth inning, senior right fielder Noah Soles got on base and advanced to second. Serrano made sure he did not remain there long as he singled to bring Soles home and stretch the NC State lead to 7-3. Enjoying the wave of success obtained up through the first six innings, the Pack used it to eventually carry over into the defining eighth inning.

“The energy in the dugout is good,” Sosa said. “The energy on the field is good, just gotta keep it rolling and at the end of the day, the season’s not over. We have a lot more games to go hopefully.”

The Wolfpack will look to secure the series win as it takes on the Demon Deacons on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ACC Network.