AUBURN, Ala. — Ryan Marohn delivered a stellar pitching performance for N.C. State, leading them to a commanding 12-0 win over Central Connecticut State on Saturday, keeping their hopes alive in the Auburn Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament.
Marohn, boasting an 8-3 record, was exceptional on the mound, allowing just five hits while striking out 10 batters over eight scoreless innings. He faced a challenging situation in the eighth inning, with runners on second and third and no outs, but managed to strike out the side to escape unscathed. Relief pitcher Tristan Potts closed the game in the ninth inning, managing to keep the scoreless innings intact despite also allowing runners on second and third with two outs, eventually inducing a foul-out to end the threat.
Offensive support came early and heavily for the Wolfpack. Alex Sosa set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning. Ryder Woodson further bolstered the lead with his own two-run blast that punctuated a four-run fourth inning for N.C. State, advancing their advantage to 6-0.
The scoring continued in the fifth inning with Luke Nixon’s sacrifice fly adding another run. In the eighth, two more runs crossed the plate courtesy of some well-placed ground balls. Nixon then closed the scoring frenzy in the ninth inning with a three-run homer, rounding up his day’s impressive contribution to four RBIs. Woodson added three RBIs to the tally, while Sosa contributed two.
This decisive win places No. 2 seed N.C. State, now at 34-20 for the season, in position to compete in Sunday’s elimination game. They will face either Auburn or Stetson, the losing team from the later match on Saturday.
On the other side, Central Connecticut State, with a record of 31-17 and nine Northeast Conference Tournament titles under their belt, faced a disappointing outcome. Their historical struggle in the NCAA Tournament continues, now standing at 1-18 all-time.
Vincent Borghese, who entered with a 10-3 record, was tagged with the loss in this matchup.