NC State baseball, Duke set for rivalry showdown at ACC Tournament in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE — N.C. State baseball’s Alex Sosa didn’t waste time making an impressive first impression in his ACC Tournament debut.
Sosa, a freshman catcher and designated hitter, had five RBIs for the Wolfpack in a 19-9 run-rule win in eight innings against Virginia Tech at Truist Field.
Sosa hit a three-run home run as part of a six-run inning to spark N.C. State’s offense, which finished with 20 hits against the Hokies (32-22). Sosa was one of six Wolfpack players to finish with multiple RBIs.
Coming in at No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, N.C. State (33-19) is one of the hottest teams in the nation with a chance to host a regional as a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack will carry a five-game winning streak into a rivalry showdown with No. 15 Duke (36-18) on Thursday night (7 p.m., ACC Network) for a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
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N.C. State took two out of three games against Duke in late March. Here are some observations from the other two games Wednesday in Charlotte and what’s on deck for Thursday.
Marek Houston, Wake Forest baseball avoid letdown
No. 22 Wake Forest didn’t face much resistance in an 8-1 win against Pitt on Wednesday. The Demon Deacons (38-19) scored five runs across the first two innings and saw seven pitchers limit the Panthers (26-28) to five hits. Marek Houston’s three-run homer was the highlight for Wake Forest’s offense. Wake faces top-seeded North Carolina (41-12) on Friday (7 p.m., ACC Network) for a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
Casey Saucke, Virginia baseball flex offensive firepower against Georgia Tech
Virginia entered the postseason with the ACC’s best offense and flexed that firepower in an impressive 13-0 victory against Georgia Tech on Wednesday in Charlotte. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers (41-14) racked up 16 hits and got six scoreless innings from starting pitcher Evan Blanco. Casey Saucke had a home run, double and four RBIs to lead Virginia at the plate.
UNC baseball gets started Thursday in Charlotte
No. 6 UNC (41-12), the Coastal Division champion, is the top seed in the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels, who are the highest-ranked ACC team in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, play 12th-seeded Pitt on Thursday (3 p.m., ACC Network), but Friday’s game against eighth-seeded Wake Forest will determine Pool A’s representative in Saturday’s semifinals. In March, UNC swept the Demon Deacons in a three-game series in Winston-Salem.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State, Duke set for rivalry showdown at ACC Tournament in Charlotte
