Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
0-1
#17 NC State
4-0
Princeton Falls Short to NC State In Season Opener
February 20, 2026 | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. - After a hard-fought season opener, the Princeton Baseball Team fell 6–4 to No. 17 NC State.
They struck first in the top of the second inning when Joe Montembeau singled to center, bringing Will Robbins home for a 1–0 lead.
Tomas Cernius added to the advantage in the third, sending a double down the left-field line that allowed Tommy Googins to score following a fielding error, extending the margin to two.
NC State responded in the bottom half of the inning, as Ty Head crossed the plate on a throwing error by Princeton. Chris McHugh later evened the score in the fifth with his first home run of the season.
After two quiet frames, the Wolfpack broke through with a four-run surge to move ahead 6–2.
The Tigers made one final push in the ninth, highlighted by a two-run homer from Goggins, but the rally fell short as NC State secured the win.
Justin Kim pitched four strong innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run while striking out four and walking none. He threw 48 strikes on 71 pitches and kept Princeton in control.
The Tigers will take on the Wolfpack Saturday with the first game scheduled for 12 PM followed by the second game at 3 PM.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Black, Collins (1-0)
L: Eaton, Elliott (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Cernius, Tomas 1
HR: Googins, Tommy 1
RBI: Montembeau, Joe 1 ; Googins, Tommy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Robbins, Will 1 ; Zorc, Joseph 1 ; Googins, Tommy 2
SB: Koonin, Jake 1
HBP: Kaufman, Brady 1 ; Werdesheim, Grant 1
Batting:
2B: Nixon, Luke 1
HR: McHugh, Chris 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 1
RBI: McHugh, Chris 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 3 ; Fraasman, Brayden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nixon, Luke 1 ; Head, Ty 2 ; McHugh, Chris 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 1 ; Fraasman, Brayden 1
SB: Head, Ty 1
