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Wolfpack Grinds Out Another Midweek Victory

NC State baseball kept things rolling for a seventh-straight win over the last two weeks.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State left fielder Rett Johnson runs the bases during the Wolfpack's 9-2 victory over Queens University (NC) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
NC State left fielder Rett Johnson runs the bases during the Wolfpack's 9-2 victory over Queens University (NC) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — No. 13 NC State grinded its way through an ugly midweek game against Queens University (NC), securing its 12th win of the 2026 season, _-_ on a warm Wednesday.

It took some key situational hitting, rather than the power NC State showed during the first three weeks of the season. Three of the _ runs came via sacrifice flies, before the bats finally woke up down the stretch and got the Wolfpack a more comfortable advantage.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. CF Ty Head: 2-4, 2 R, BB
  2. 1B Chris McHugh: 1-5, 2 RBI, 3B
  3. 2B Luke Nixon: 0-1 (Injured on defense) -- Christian Serrano: 0-1, RBI
  4. RF Brayden Fraasman: 0-4
  5. DH Sherman Johnson: 0-3, BB, R
  6. 3B Wyatt Peifer: 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB
  7. SS Mikey Ryan: 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI
  8. C Vincent DeCarlo: 0-2 -- Drew Lanphere: RBI
  9. LF Rett Johnson: 2-3, R, 3 RBI

LHP Luke Hemric: 3 IP, H, R, ER, BB, 2 K
RHP Ryder Garino: 4 IP, BB, 6 K (W, 1-0)
RHP Aiden Kitchings: 0.2 IP, H, R, BB, K
RHP Sam Harris: 0.1 IP
RHP Danny Heintz: IP, 2 K

How NC State got the job done

After the high emotion of Tuesday's win over Coastal Carolina, the Wolfpack found itself in more of a low-scoring battle against the Royals, not all that dissimilar to the Princeton loss. The home team had very little offensive success in the first six innings, as Queens starting pitcher Adrian Quezada grinded through 6.2 innings, but was pulled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Once Quezada left the fray, NC State made its move. The Wolfpack held a slim one-run advantage until shortstop Mikey Ryan smashed his fourth home run of the season. That ended Quezada's outing and unfortunately for the Queens starter, he was tagged with five earned runs as the Wolfpack added three more runs in the seventh to push the lead to 6-1.

McHugh continued his torrid hitting stretch and hit the first triple of his career, driving in a pair of runs in the seventh. He pushed his season RBI total to 21, the most of any member of the NC State roster. With a five-run lead in place, the Pack was still relatively safe as the Royals started to string some hits together late.

While Hemric wasn't perfect at the start, he made it through three innings with just the one run allowed. However, Garino excelled in four innings of work, tallying six strikeouts in his extended relief outing. Kitchings was the member of the bullpen who struggled the most during his outing, allowing a run during his appearance. Harris inherited a pair of baserunners with two outs, but

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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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