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NC State Suffers First Loss of the 2026 Season

The Wolfpack bats didn't show up in the second leg of the doubleheader against Princeton.
Tucker Sennett|
Jun 8, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; A North Carolina State Wolfpack helmet lies in the dugout before the game against the Rice Owls in the Raleigh super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Doak Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images
Jun 8, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; A North Carolina State Wolfpack helmet lies in the dugout before the game against the Rice Owls in the Raleigh super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Doak Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images | Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

RALEIGH — After an offensive explosion in the first leg of the doubleheader against Princeton on Saturday, NC State failed to put a number on the scoreboard in nine innings, falling to the Tigers 1-0 for the first loss of the 2026 season. While it was a disappointing result for the team, head coach Elliott Avent hopes it's a character-building defeat for the Pack 9.

The Wolfpack had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, but back-to-back strikeouts stranded a runner on second base to end the game. It was the first scoreless outing for NC State all season, as the team finished with just three hits to end the series against Princeton.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. CF Ty Head: 2-4
  2. 2B Luke Nixon: 0-4, K
  3. RF Brayden Fraasman: 0-4, 2 K
  4. DH Dalton Bargo: 0-3, BB, 3 K
  5. 1B Chris McHugh: 1-3
  6. 3B Sherman Johnson: 0-2 -- PH Andrew Wiggins: 0-1 -- 3B Christian Serrano (Defense)
  7. LF Rett Johnson: 0-3, K
  8. SS Mikey Ryan: 0-3
  9. C Preston Bonn: 0-1 --- PH/C Drew Lanphere: 0-2

LHP Cooper Consiglio: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB, 6 K
RHP Ryder Garino: 2.0 IP, H, 3 K
RHP Truitt Manuel: 2.0 IP, 3 K

What happened in the second game of the doubleheader?

It was a real pitchers' duel through the first five innings, as Consiglio battled Princeton starter Brady Kaufman in a scoreless tie. Things changed in the top of the sixth, as NC State opted to send its lefty starter out for one more inning after he controlled the flow of the game well in his first five innings of work. It proved to be a costly decision.

Consiglio hung a pitch to Princeton second baseman Isaac Lamson, who made the junior Wolfpack arm pay by blasting a homer to left-center to give the Tigers the first lead of the afternoon. It was all they needed, as NC State's bats struggled with Kaufman and his relief, Ryan Penney, who shut down the Pack for another four innings after Kaufman's day ended with five scoreless.

Head opened the ninth inning with a quality at-bat before smacking a double to center field and legging it out. A flyout to shallow center wasn't enough to move the speedy outfielder over. The heart of the lineup, Bargo and Fraasman, finally went quiet after mashing through the early part of the season, striking out and ending the game with a whimper for the Pack.

NC State will be back in action on Tuesday against Richmond, the first of two midweek bouts for NC State before a weekend series against Sacred Heart.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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