Missed Opportunities Doom NC State in Series Finale Against Stanford

Sunday, May 10

Stanford, CA

4:05 p.m.

NC State

31-19, 13-14

Stanford

25-23, 12-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
NC State	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	1	5	14	1
Stanford	0	0	2	0	1	0	4	2	X	9	11	0

Missed Opportunities Doom NC State in Series Finale Against Stanford

5/10/2026 10:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

STANFORD, Ca. – In a 3-3 game in the seventh, Stanford scored four times to pull away late and go on to win 9-5, taking the series Sunday afternoon at the Sunken Diamond.

The game was lost for the Wolfpack when it failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Despite totaling 11 hits, NC State was 5-18 with runners in scoring position and 0-2 with the bases loaded. Stanford, on the other hand, was 4-9 with runners in scoring position and 4-5 with runners on third and less than two outs.

The Wolfpack looked to mount a comeback in the later innings, scoring once in the eighth as Rett Johnson singled in his 24th consecutive game for an RBI, making it 7-4. With runners on first and second and just one out, Chris McHugh lined one up the middle, but the pitcher threw up his glove and caught it and made a quick throw to first to start a double play.

Teddy Tokheim hit his third home run of the weekend to add insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Dalton Bargo, Luke Nixon, and Chris McHugh each finished with three hits. Bargo doubled and had an RBI, while Christian Serrano doubled twice and had a run batted in. Sherman Johnson had a two-RBI day to wrap up his big weekend.

Anderson Nance (3-2) went 4.1 innings in relief but was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits, with three walks and five strikeouts. Heath Andrews started the game but only went 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, with two walks and one strikeout.

NC State looked set for a big first inning as the first three batters reached base, and the Pack loaded the bases with nobody out. Stanford pitcher Nick Dugan escaped the jam with a fly ball and a double play, keeping the Wolfpack scoreless.

Andrews recorded his own double play in the first after a Wolfpack error. McHugh started a 3-6 double play to end the inning and keep the Cardinal scoreless. Stanford didn't have a hit until the third inning, but after an infield single and two walks, the hosts loaded the bases with just one out. Stanford capitalized with two runs on a bloop single and a sacrifice fly.

The Stanford lead was cut in half in the top of the fourth as Johnson continued his big weekend with his seventh home run of the season, making it a one-run game. It was Johnson's fourth extra base, second home run, sixth hit, sixth run, and fifth RBI of the weekend. The scoring didn't stop there as Serrano tied the game with a double, scoring Andrew Wiggins, who had walked and stolen second base.

Once again, Sherman Johnson used his bat to help the Wolfpack, this time at the top of the fifth with a groundball RBI to the pitcher that brought home Nixon, making it 3-2. NC State was inches away from two more, but a Dalton Bargo single hit Wiggins on the base paths, ending the inning.

Stanford tied the game in the bottom half with a two-out hit, making it 3-3. Six runs across the seventh and eighth innings for Stanford put the game out of reach for the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack now heads home for the final regular-season series at the Doak as it prepares to take on in-state rival UNC, beginning on Thursday, May 14th, at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.