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Observations From Wolfpack's Friday Victory Over Duke

The Wolfpack secured a fifth-straight win, opening the series with success against the Duke Blue Devils.
Tucker Sennett|
3B Sherman Johnson looks at his dugout after hitting a home run in NC State's 10-4 victory over Duke on Friday, April 10, 2026.
3B Sherman Johnson looks at his dugout after hitting a home run in NC State's 10-4 victory over Duke on Friday, April 10, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — NC State opened up its "Victory Over Cancer" series against the Duke Blue Devils in style. The Wolfpack pounced on the visitors from Durham, N.C., taking an early three-run lead that it only grew the rest of the way, ultimately winning the game 10-4. It offered the program a much-needed morale boost.

Less than 24 hours before the first pitch, it was announced that one of the workhorse starting pitchers, Jacob Dudan, would miss the remainder of the season as he plans to have Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. His team stepped up and got a win, shaking off the bad news and helping the other ace, lefty Ryan Marohn, to his sixth win of the year.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. LF Rett Johnson: 1-5, K
  2. 2B Luke Nixon: 1-5, R, RBI, 2 BB, K
  3. 1B Chris McHugh: 2-5, R
  4. CF Ty Head: 1-3, R, 2 BB
  5. 3B Sherman Johnson: 1-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3-R HR (4)
  6. DH Dalton Bargo: 0-2, BB, K -- PH Brandon Novy: HBP
  7. RF Brayden Fraasman: 1-5, R, 3B
  8. C Drew Lanphere: 2-3, R, RBI, BB
  9. SS Mikey Ryan: 3-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (8)

LHP Ryan Marohn: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 9 K, W (6-1)
RHP Anderson Nance: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K, S (3)

Key observations

The Wolfpack got another solid outing from Marohn, who worked his way methodically through 5.2 innings before handing the ball to Nance, who thrived in another long-relief outing. Marohn pitched smartly against the Blue Devils, weaving in and out of traffic with his strikeout pitches. He racked up nine punchouts during the outing before he was done.

It helped that Nance regained his top form after some shakier outings, coming in and completely shutting down any hope for a Blue Devil comeback. His eight strikeouts were the most in any outing all season for the powerful righty. It didn't hurt that the offense picked up the pitching in a big way, blasting three home runs in the win.

Ryan accounted for two home runs on his own, continuing a torrid stretch at the plate after really struggling for a few weeks. Sherman Johnson hammered his third homer in two games, still utilizing the change in approach he explained after the midweek victory over UNC Wilmington on Tuesday.

The victory pushed the Wolfpack to 23-11 on the season and over the .500 mark in conference play. After the team lost seven games in a row, things looked quite dire, but the change in fortune lately seems to be fixing the morale and confidence, especially at the plate. Look for NC State to show even more aggression when chasing a series win on Saturday, with righty Heath Andrews set to get the start.

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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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