GREENVILLE — N.C. State got an early lead and was not seriously threatened in a 10-3 nonconference win at East Carolina on Tuesday night.
“We were outplayed in all three phases,” said ECU coach Cliff Godwin on the Pirate radio network. “Tip of the cap to N.C. State. … Apologies to our fans, but we’ll get better.”
The Wolfpack (25-12) took a 2-0 lead in the second with a pair of unearned runs and added three runs in the third with a 2-run homer from Ty Head.
The Pirates (22-15-1) got a sacrifice fly from Brayden Bachman in the sixth to pull within 6-1.
State added an unearned run in the seventh. Luke Nixon had a 2-run homer for the visitors in a 3-run eighth.
Davin Whitaker closed the scoring with a 2-run homer to right for the Pirates in the eighth.
Sherman Johnson went 3-for-4 for the Wolfpack, which had a 10-5 lead in hits.
Luke Hemric (2-1) started on the mound for NCSU and got the win. He went four innings and allowed two hits with no runs, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Ryan Towers (3-2) started and absorbed the loss for ECU.
The Pirates host the opener of a 3-game American Conference series with Wichita State (23-14) on Friday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+).
ECU and the Shockers are each 7-5 in league play.
If last night’s Pirates are what we can expect going forward, playing .500 baseball could be a major chore for this team. The usual suspects, shaky pitching and minimal offense, were joined by an almost total lack of energy. As a team, the Pirates are in trouble. For certain, injuries are part of the problem, forcing many young, inexperienced players into the lineup. Also, several veteran players are having less than the solid season expected of them.
The Wolfpack looked like a team setting up for a solid run, as the Pirates continue to slide. There is enough of the season remaining for the Pirates to recover, but the improvement must start now.