Wilmington brother connection comes up big for NC State baseball on Tuesday

The Wilmington brother duo of Chance Shepard and Shane Shepard helped lead NC State to a victory Tuesday afternoon in Raleigh.  Chance and Shane are both graduates of Ashley High School in Wilmington.

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RALEIGH, NC (NC STATE) — ­ No. 8 NC State baseball won its third-straight, dispatching Morehead State 7-5 on Tuesday at Doak Field at Dail Park.

The Wolfpack (3-1) fell into a 1-0 deficit in the top first, before taking a 3-1 lead in the bottom second on a rally jumpstarted by three-consecutive doubles. NC State stretched that lead to 5-1 before the Eagles stormed back to tie the game 5-5 in the top fifth. The Pack scored twice in the bottom fifth to set the final margin at 7-5.

Xavier LeGrant provided the first three-RBI game of his career, part of a 2-for-3 outing with a run, a double, a walk, and a handful of outstanding plays in the field at second base. Chance Shepard supplied a pair of RBIs in a 2-for-4 ballgame with a run and a double. Shane Shepard added a double and RBI of his own, both in the same innings as his older brother.

Andrew Knizner went 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk. Joe Dunand hit his second double of the season in a 1-for-3 effort with a run. Preston Palmeiro improved to 9-for-19 on the year in a 2-for-5 day with a run. Josh McLain, Ryne Willard, and Brock Deatherage each contributed a hit, with Deatherage adding a run.

Will Gilbert (2-0) scored the win in four innings of work, striking out a career-high six while allowing two earned on four hits and two walks. Cory Wilder started and worked an economical four innings on 57 pitches, surrendering three earned on a walk and four hits. Tommy DeJuneas collected his first save of the year with a perfect ninth.

NC State returns to home action on Wednesday at 3 PM against St. John’s. Streaming coverage will be provided by GoPack All-Access. Radio duties will be handled by 88.1 WKNC. Fans can follow along with live stats on GoPack.com or Twitter updates via @NCStateBaseball.