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Stats, Observations From Another Wolfpack Baseball Victory Over Notre Dame

NC State is getting back to its winning ways at the right time, taking down a strong Notre Dame squad for a second-straight win.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State CF Ty Head celebrates at home plate after hitting a solo home run in the Wolfpack's 7-3 win over Notre Dame on Friday, April 3, 2026.
NC State CF Ty Head celebrates at home plate after hitting a solo home run in the Wolfpack's 7-3 win over Notre Dame on Friday, April 3, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — Turning winning into a habit is hard to do at times, but NC State seems to be finding its footing once again after a seven-game losing streak. The Wolfpack took down Notre Dame, 7-3, for a second-straight win on Friday, defeating one of the best pitchers in the ACC in Jack Radel.

Flipping the script was never going to be easy for the Pack, but it still found a way in the first two games of the series against the Fighting Irish. NC State got a massive turnaround performance from its struggling shortstop, Mikey Ryan, who came up with a pair of doubles that accounted for 3 RBI.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

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

RHP Heath Andrews: 4.2 IP, 2 R, ER, 5 BB, 4 K
RHP Ryder Garino: 2.1 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 6 K, W (2-1)
LHP Cooper Consiglio: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K, S (2)

Observations from the 7-3 win

Heath Andrews
Right-handed pitcher Heath Andrews throws a pitch in No. 10 NC State's 5-1 victory over Boston College on Sunday, March 15, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

Somehow getting to Radel was always going to be the key for the Wolfpack on Friday. After Notre Dame struck first, it became even more critical to keep pace in some way. Head stepped up and made sure that happened, blasting his ninth home run of the season to right field. That hit gave NC State the confidence it needed to keep contact with the Fighting Irish.

Andrews buckled down after his early issues and worked his way through 4.2 innings. While it wasn't his best stuff, it was efficient enough to eat some innings and spell an exhausted bullpen on shorter rest from having to carry the team across the finish line in a big game. Garino came in and excelled, helping Andrews escape a jam unscathed before striking out six batters during his 2.1 innings of work.

The biggest hit of the night came from Ryan, as he hammered the ball to left-center before it just dropped underneath the glove of Notre Dame left fielder Bino Watters. The ball rolled all the way to the wall, bringing Lanphere home from first base. Despite going on to score more runs in the game, Ryan's double proved that NC State could get to Radel and hit elite pitching.

Between Garino and Consiglio, who has done a little bit of everything for the Wolfpack in 2026, the team got massive contributions out of the bullpen that ultimately secured the victory. Now, the Pack can go for a massive sweep and completely change the tune of the season with Jacob Dudan on the mound on Saturday.

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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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