NC State Baseball

NC State Falls to No. 2 UNC 9-4 in Series Opener

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

NC State made things interesting late Friday night against No. 2 North Carolina, but the comeback push ultimately fell short as the Wolfpack dropped Game 1 of the rivalry series, 9-4.

For much of the night, it looked like NC State might have the formula to pull off a huge upset.

Then one inning changed everything.

Andrews Dominant Early

Junior right-hander Heath Andrews was outstanding through the first four innings.

At that point, Andrews had:

Allowed just 1 earned run
Struck out 5 batters
Walked only 1

NC State trailed by only one run entering the top of the fifth.

Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, UNC erupted for five runs in the frame, swinging the momentum hard toward the visitors.

Rally Caps Activated

Down entering the bottom of the sixth, NC State finally punched back.

The Wolfpack plated four runs in the inning to cut the deficit to two runs and bring Doak Field back to life.

Junior third baseman Sherman Johnson delivered the biggest blow with a three-run homer, his eighth long ball of the season.

Freshman sensation Rett Johnson added an RBI single during the rally, extending his hitting streak to an absurd 25 games.

Johnson finished the night:

2-for-5
1 RBI

…and is now batting .403 on the season.

Strange Career Night for Andrews

To his credit, Andrews responded impressively after the rough fifth inning.

He returned in the sixth and struck out the side, finishing the night with a career-high 10 strikeouts, while giving up 5 earned runs.

Despite the effort, NC State’s offense couldn’t push across another run over the final three innings.

UNC added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings to seal the win.

Notable

Sophomore center fielder Ty Head drew two more walks, bringing his season total to 53, which ranks 2nd in NC State history for walks in a single season.

Senior designated hitter Dalton Bargo continued his hot stretch, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bargo has now recorded 2+ hits in each of his last three games.