RALEIGH, N.C. (Interstat) — North Carolina State defeated North Carolina 7-2 on Saturday evening at Doak Field, salvaging the finale of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series after dropping the first two games.

The Wolfpack improved to 32-21 overall. The Tar Heels, who entered the weekend ranked atop the national polls, fell to 43-10-1.

North Carolina State scored first in the bottom of the first inning, turning a leadoff single and two walks into three runs. Rett Johnson singled to short, Luke Nixon popped up, then Sherman Johnson walked and Chris McHugh singled through the left side to drive in Johnson. Ty Head followed with a bunt single to load the bases, and Mikey Ryan singled to right field to bring home Sherman Johnson, tying the game at 2-2. The Wolfpack left the bases loaded when Brayden Fraasman popped out and Christian Serrano struck out.

The Tar Heels answered in the top of the second. After two quick outs, Cooper Nicholson homered to deep center field, giving North Carolina a 2-0 lead that briefly held. Tyler Howe walked and Colin Hynek doubled down the left-field line, but Howe was thrown out at home on a relay from left fielder to shortstop to catcher, ending the inning.

The game remained 2-2 through four innings as both starting pitchers settled in. North Carolina’s Folger Boaz and North Carolina State’s Anderson Nance traded scoreless frames. The Tar Heels threatened in the third with two walks and a fielder’s choice but could not push across a run.

The decisive moment came in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sherman Johnson led off with a solo home run to deep right field, his ninth of the season, breaking the tie. Chris McHugh followed with a solo homer to deep left field, also his ninth, making it 4-2. Ty Head doubled to right, and North Carolina replaced Boaz with Walker McDuffie. Ryan struck out, Fraasman grounded out to the pitcher to advance Head to third, and Serrano struck out looking to end the inning, but the Wolfpack had seized control.

North Carolina State added three more runs in the seventh to put the game away. McHugh led off with an infield single, Head bunted for a single, and Ryan sacrificed them into scoring position. The Tar Heels intentionally walked pinch hitter Dalton Bargo, who was replaced by pinch runner Devin Mitchell. Serrano then reached on a fielder’s choice to second base, scoring McHugh. With Head and Mitchell on the corners, Serrano advanced to second on defensive indifference, and Vincent DeCarlo singled to left field, driving in both Head and Serrano to make it 7-2.

North Carolina got one run back in the top of the eighth when Gavin Gallaher homered to deep left field, his second solo blast of the season, but the Tar Heels could not mount a further rally. They had managed only four hits in the game against four Wolfpack pitchers.

North Carolina State’s 13-hit attack was led by McHugh, who finished with three hits, including the homer, and two runs scored. Head had three hits, Johnson had two hits including the homer, and DeCarlo drove in the two late runs. Ryan contributed a hit, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI. Serrano also drove in a run and scored once. Mitchell, who entered as a pinch runner, remained in the game in right field.

For North Carolina, Nicholson and Gallaher each homered, accounting for the only two runs. The Tar Heels struck out 11 times and left seven runners on base.

The win was a measure of revenge for the Wolfpack, who had lost the first two games of the series by scores of 17-7 and 9-4. North Carolina had won 10 of its previous 11 games entering Saturday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected an 8-5 victory for North Carolina. The Tar Heels were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-1.5, and Interstat’s ELO system gave them a 63.70 percent probability to win.