NC State Falls to UNC

Thursday, May 14

Raleigh, NC

7 p.m.

NC State

31-20, 13-15

UNC

42-9-1, 42-9-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Carolina	0	0	1	0	5	0	0	1	2	9	8	1
NC State	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	4	7	2

5/15/2026 12:23:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State fell behind 6-0, battled back, and got within two of UNC, but couldn't complete the comeback Thursday night at Doak. The Wolfpack (31-20, 13-15) fell to #2-ranked North Carolina (42-9-2, 21-7) by a score of 9-4 in the series opener.

All four of the Wolfpack runs came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sherman Johnson hit a three-run home run to cut the deficit in half, and Rett Johnson singled in a run, but that was all the Wolfpack offense would get.

It was Sherman's eighth home run of the season, and Rett finished the night 2-for-5 with an RBI, extending his hitting streak to a team-leading 25 games. The sixth inning remains the most productive of the season for the Pack, now with 73 runs scored.

Dalton Bargo joined Rett Johnson as the only other Wolfpack player to have a multi-hit night. Center fielder Ty Head reached base twice on walks, bringing his season tally to 53, putting him alone in second place and passing Jacob Cozart for the second most walks in a single season in NC State history.

The Pack's struggles against ranked opponents continue, as they are now 2-6 on the season against such teams.

Heath Andrews (3-4) struck out a career-best 10 Tar Heel batters, topping his previous career high of nine, and allowed only one run in the first four innings. The visitors got to him in the fifth, plating five. Andrews came back out in the sixth and struck out the side before his night was done.

North Carolina starting pitcher Jason DeCaro (10-2) went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Those two runs were the first earned runs he had allowed in three starts, as he entered the game with the lowest ERA among ACC starting pitchers.

Neither team was productive with runners in scoring position, as NC State went 2-7 and UNC was 3-16.

Following Luke Nixon's one-out double in the first inning, the Pack did not advance a runner past first base until Sherman Johnson's three-run bomb in the sixth inning. The Wolfpack built on that blast, finishing the inning with four runs, courtesy of a Rett Johnson RBI, to spark a comeback that ultimately fell well short.

The visitors struck first with a leadoff triple to begin the third inning, and a ground ball to first in the following at-bat gave UNC a 1-0 lead.

The Tar Heels would extend their lead to six in the fifth inning. They led off the frame with a first-pitch home run before the next two batters reached on a HBP and an error. North Carolina took advantage of the Wolfpack's mistakes with a three-run bomb to right field. They capped off their scoring with a single to left to drive in the inning's final run.

In the seventh, Chris McHugh reached base following a UNC error, bringing the tying run to the plate in Wolfpack home run leader Head. Following a fielder's choice, a pop out, and a strikeout, the threat was over.

North Carolina would use runs in the eighth and ninth to add to its lead, as the Pack didn't have a 15th come-from-behind victory in it.

The series continues with game two on Saturday, May 15th, at 7 p.m. at Doak Field and will be available on ACC Network.