North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
32-22
Duke
26-30
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 0 |
| NC State | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
NC State Falls to Duke in ACC Tournament
5/19/2026 7:03:00 PM | Baseball
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- NC State's ACC Tournament came to an end Tuesday as the Wolfpack fell 21-12 to Duke at Truist Field after allowing a season-high 20 hits and 12 walks in the Pack's longest game of the season.
It was the second-most runs a Wolfpack team has allowed in the ACC tournament and the most since 1985.
Eighteen of the Blue Devils' 21 runs came with two outs. Duke went 11-19 (.579) with two outs and 6-for-10 with the bases loaded, including a grand slam. Kaden Smith, who hit the grand slam, had eight RBIs, matching an ACC record for a tournament game. All nine Duke starters had at least one hit.
The Wolfpack offense put up runs in every inning but two, but 15 runs across the final three frames from Duke put the game out of reach. Luke Nixon, Ty Head, Mikey Ryan, and Dalton Bargo each finished with two hits and two RBIs. Bargo, Head, and Nixon each homered, while Rett Johnson picked up a hit to extend his hitting streak to 28 games.
Wyatt Peifer hit his first home run of the season, and the Wolfpack struck out only six times while walking nine times but was 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
NC State pitching threw 246 pitches on the day from seven different pitchers. Ryder Garino (3-5) is credited with the loss after allowing five runs on three hits, with two walks and a strikeout. Heath Andrews got the start and went 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.
Freshman Sam Harris, Luke Hemric, Mikey Ragusa, Truitt Manuel, and R-Jr Julien Peissel all saw ACC tournament action for the first time in their careers.
Duke was down multiple times throughout the first six innings. The Pack jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second, as Ryan got NC State on the board with a double and Bargo hit his first home run since April 25th on the very next pitch. Head's team-leading 14th home run of the season made it 4-2 in the bottom of the third after Duke got on the board and made it a one-run game in the top of the inning.
A four-run fourth for the Blue Devils chased Andrews out of the game, and NC State found itself down for the first time on the afternoon.
Nixon made it a one-run game following a groundout RBI in the fourth. In the fifth, Ryan tied the game with another double and would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch, giving NC State a one-run advantage.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Pack loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. Head's 54th walk of the season gave NC State a two-run advantage.
Unfortunately for the Pack, that would be the last time it had a lead, as Duke responded with a six-run seventh inning that included a Smith grand slam off Hemric on Hemric's first pitch of the game.
Duke scored 15 runs across the final three innings, as the Pack offense saw Nixon hit his career-best ninth home run of the season and Peiffer hit a three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth.
NC State will now wait to see if its season will continue, as it awaits to hear its name called on selection Monday to see if it is in the NCAA tournament for the 23rd time under Elliott Avent.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Petrocelli, Sammy (1-0)
L: Garino, Ryder (3-5)
Batting:
2B: Quagliano, Coltin 1 ; Strand, Matthew 1
3B: Lambdin, Jake 1
HR: Smith, Kaden 2
RBI: Anderson, Collin 2 ; Hamilton, RJ 2 ; Lambdin, Jake 6 ; Perez, Brooks 1 ; Strand, Matthew 2 ; Smith, Kaden 8
Base Running:
RUNS: Albright, Tyler 3 ; Bell, Andrew 1 ; Hamilton, RJ 3 ; Lambdin, Jake 2 ; Perez, Brooks 3 ; Quagliano, Coltin 3 ; Strand, Matthew 1 ; Zorn, Adin 3 ; Smith, Kaden 2
SB: Albright, Tyler 2 ; Hamilton, RJ 1 ; Perez, Brooks 1 ; Quagliano, Coltin 1
HBP: Hamilton, RJ 1 ; Perez, Brooks 1
Batting:
2B: Bargo, Dalton 1 ; Ryan, Mikey 2
HR: Nixon, Luke 1 ; Head, Ty 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 1 ; Peifer, Wyatt 1
RBI: Nixon, Luke 2 ; Head, Ty 2 ; Bargo, Dalton 2 ; Peifer, Wyatt 3 ; Ryan, Mikey 2
SH: Johnson, Rett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nixon, Luke 2 ; Head, Ty 3 ; Bargo, Dalton 2 ; Peifer, Wyatt 1 ; Ryan, Mikey 2 ; Serrano, Christian 1 ; Wiggins, Andrew 1
SB: Head, Ty 1
HBP: McHugh, Chris 1
