Sacred Heart
1-7
NC State
9-1
Pioneers Jump Ahead Early, Wolfpack Rally Late
2/28/2026 6:15:00 PM | Baseball
Sacred Heart came out swinging and showed flashes of resilience throughout, battling hard despite a tough road loss to NC State.
Raleigh, N.C. – Sacred Heart came out swinging and showed flashes of resilience throughout, battling hard despite a tough road loss to NC State.
The game opened with Parker setting the tone in the bottom of the first, mowing down two hitters with back-to-back strikeouts.
In the top of the second, the Pios struck first. Peter Link roped a double that brought Gavin Donohue all the way around to score, putting them on the board early.
NC State threatened in the bottom half, but the Pios slammed the door with a smooth double play — Ryan Rey to Gavin Donohue to Will Cook.
The Pios added on in the third. JW Fitzgerald sparked the rally with a double, and moments later Ronan Donohue lined a double of his own to plate Fitzgerald and extend the lead.
But NC State answered right back in the bottom of the third, pushing across two runs to even things up and swing the momentum.
By the sixth, the Wolfpack offense erupted. NC State exploded for seven runs in the inning, breaking the game open and building a commanding lead.
The Pios refused to go quietly in the seventh. Jack Kidwell drilled a double to right-center, and Nathan Bowes raced all the way home from first. Then Ronan Donohue stepped in and launched a two-run homer, scoring Kidwell and giving the Pios one last surge of energy.
Still, NC State had the final word. In the bottom of the seventh, they closed it out in run-rule fashion, walking it off with a 15–5 victory.
Top Performers
Ronan Donohue: 2-4, 3 RBI, R, double, HR
Jack Kidwell: 1-3, R, RBI, double
JW Fitzgerald: 1-3, R, double
Peter Link: 1-4, RBI, double
Ryan Parker: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 SO
Graham Willerer: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 2 SO
Up Next
The Pioneers return to the field tomorrow at 1 p.m. to face the NC State Wolfpack at Doak Field at Dail Park.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dudan, Jacob (3-0)
L: Parker, Ryan (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Link, Peter 1 ; Kidwell, Jack 1 ; Donohue, Ronan 1 ; Fitzgerald, JW 1
HR: Donohue, Ronan 1
RBI: Link, Peter 1 ; Kidwell, Jack 1 ; Donohue, Ronan 3
SH: Rey, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kidwell, Jack 1 ; Donohue, Ronan 1 ; Donohue, Gavin 1 ; Fitzgerald, JW 1 ; Bowes, Nathan 1
SB: Donohue, Gavin 1
HBP: Donohue, Gavin 1
Batting:
2B: Peifer, Wyatt 1
3B: Ryan, Mikey 1
HR: McHugh, Chris 1 ; Wiggins, Andrew 1
RBI: Nixon, Luke 1 ; McHugh, Chris 2 ; Lanphere, Drew 1 ; Johnson, Sherman 2 ; Peifer, Wyatt 3 ; Ryan, Mikey 3 ; Wiggins, Andrew 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Nixon, Luke 3 ; McHugh, Chris 3 ; Head, Ty 1 ; Lanphere, Drew 1 ; Johnson, Sherman 3 ; Johnson, Rett 2 ; Peifer, Wyatt 1 ; Wiggins, Andrew 1
SB: Nixon, Luke 1 ; Head, Ty 2 ; Johnson, Rett 1
HBP: Head, Ty 1 ; Johnson, Sherman 1
