Wolfpack Outlasts Wake Forest in Extra Innings

Sunday, April 19

Winston-Salem, NC

1 p.m.

NC State

25-14, 9-9

Wake Forest

27-13, 11-10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
NC State	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	2	6	12	0
Wake Forest	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	5	9	2

4/19/2026 7:49:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In game 40 of the 2026 season, NC State played in its first extra-innings affair, coming from behind to win 6-5 in 10 innings in the series finale against Wake Forest on Sunday at David F. Couch Ballpark.

A lower-scoring game than the previous two, NC State (25-14, 9-9) trailed 4-2 in the eighth inning, but Rett Johnson, who finished 5-for-5, singled to start the rally. Johnson came around to score on a fielder's choice.

Johnson is 32-for-66 (.485) in his first 18 career ACC games.

The Wolfpack stole six bases, and Ty Head's second stolen base of the game allowed him to tie the game on a Sherman Johnson single.

A Head walk started the top of the 10th, and after another stolen base, Wyatt Peifer laid down a perfect bunt for a hit that caused a throwing error, allowing Head to score and take a 5-4 lead.

Head now has 24 stolen bases this season and passes Tom Sergio for the eighth-most in a single season.

Mikey Ryan had three stolen bases, with two coming in the 10th after a walk. On a 2-2 count against Andrew Wiggins, head coach Elliott Avent brought in freshman Vincent Decarlo to pinch hit. On the first pitch, Decarlo added an all-important second run with an RBI ground ball to make it 6-4.

Wake Forest threatened to tie and even win in the bottom of the 10th, but Anderson Nance (3-2) shut the door, stranding runners on second and third to secure the victory. Nance went three innings, allowing just one run on four hits with two walks.

Freshman Luke Hemric made his first weekend start of the season and went 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Ryder Garino kept the Pack close after going a season-high 3.1 innings, allowing just one run on one hit with four strikeouts.

NC State used three hits in the first to get on the board first and take a 1-0 lead following an 11-pitch at-bat from Head that resulted in an RBI single. The Pack couldn't add any more after a strikeout and batter's interference on a stolen base.

Wake Forest wasted no time taking the lead after capitalizing with the bases loaded and nobody out to make it 2-1 following an RBI single of their own. Hemric limited the damage after getting a double play and a strikeout to keep the deficit at one run.

NC State turned three double plays in the game.

A solo home run from the Deacons made it 3-1 in the bottom of the third. It was Wake Forest's 12th home run of the series.

Ryan led off the top of the fifth with a double and later came around to score off a ground ball from Drew Lanphere to cut into the Wake Forest lead and make it 3-2.

Garino had a career-long outing and had been putting up zeros. Wake Forest's 13th home run of the series in the bottom of the seventh reestablished a two-run lead, making it 4-2 was his only blemish.

NC State will not have a midweek game this week and will resume ACC play on Friday, April 24th, in Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on Virginia Tech.