BOONE, N.C. –
Tanner Nolan and
Nick DiRito combined to strike out 13 batters, while the offense blasted three home runs as App State Baseball rolled past North Carolina A&T 9-3 on Friday.
The Mountaineers' 13 strikeouts without a walk are the most since 2016, when App State fanned 14 in nine walkless innings also against North Carolina A&T.
Nolan was locked in from the start. The lefty from Deptford, N.J. struck out two batters in each of his first two innings and bounced back after a solo home run in the third. Nolan did not walk a batter. He faced just three over the minimum, striking out six in five innings of work.
The App State (4-1) offense provided Nolan some run support with an explosive third inning.
Kameron Miller led off the frame with a single through the left side and
Drew DuPont followed with a two-run home run to straight away center field. Two batters later,
Ethan Puig tattooed a solo home run into the trees beyond the left field wall to push the lead to 3-0.
Leading 3-1 in the sixth, the Mountaineer bats came alive again.
Riley Luft began the inning with a double down the left field line and Puig followed with an RBI single to right field. Two batters later,
Steven Smith belted his first home run of the season to left field to push the lead to 6-1.
Puig finished the game with three hits and three RBI, culminating with an RBI single in the seventh. Smith lined a two-run single to cap a three-run seventh inning. He finished with two hits and four runs knocked in.
Nick DiRito followed Nolan with an impressive outing in relief. He fired the final four innings, allowing two runs on five hits, while recording a career-high seven strikeouts.
App State will rematch with North Carolina A&T on Saturday at 1 p.m. at LP Frans Stadium in Hickory, N.C.
The 2026 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
