All Wolfpack

Pack 9 Responds With Smooth Win Over Lafayette

The Leopards dominated NC State on Friday, but that wasn't the case in the second game of the series.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State senior Dalton Bargo trots the bases.
NC State senior Dalton Bargo trots the bases. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — In the shocking loss to Lafayette that opened the three-game set, NC State allowed six home runs on eight hits for the Leopards. The Wolfpack turned to junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan in the second game of the series and completely flipped the script, beating the Leopards 10-4 and moving to 13-2 on the season.

The Pack got its lineup back to full strength, as senior utility player Dalton Bargo returned from a lower leg injury that kept him on the bench for five games. With his bat back in the mix, the offense clicked once again and avoided many of the issues it dealt with in the Friday loss.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

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

RHP Jacob Dudan: 6.2 IP, 4 H, R, ER, BB, 10 K, W (4-0)
RHP Collins Black: 2.1 IP, H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

How the Pack got it done

Bargo set the tone right away for the Wolfpack. The senior mashed his fifth home run of the season in his first at-bat back in the lineup, powering the ball over the right field fence. With an early lead, Dudan quickly settled into the flow of the game, mowing down Leopard hitters with ease. It marked his third straight start with 10-plus strikeouts.

Dudan didn't get much run support in the rest of his outing outside of the Bargo bomb to get things started. Eventually, Ryan blasted his fifth home run, putting the Wolfpack up three, but it still felt like the team needed some insurance, especially given what the Leopards did to the staff on Friday afternoon. The seventh and eighth innings proved to be just the medicine.

The power surge continued for the Wolfpack, as Head became the next member of the team to join the homer parade. He took Owen Basso deep for his seventh big fly of the 2026 season, continuing to show new power. Once Head blew it open, the hits continued to come, as the Wolfpack scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth, wrapping things up.

NC State will try to wrap things up in Sunday's series finale, now scheduled for 11 A.M. EST due to potential weather later in the afternoon.

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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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