RALEIGH, N.C. (Interstat) — In a stunning reversal of form and expectation, the Lafayette Leopards erupted for six first-inning runs and rode a masterful pitching performance from Tristan Helmick to an 11-6 victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Friday evening at Doak Field.

The win, just the first of the season for Lafayette, which entered the game with a 1-7 record, came against a North Carolina State team that was 12-2 and had been projected by Interstat’s game simulator to win 7-1. The system gave the Wolfpack a 94 percent probability of victory.

The most important part of the game was its immediate and shocking outset. Lafayette sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the first inning against North Carolina State starter Sam Peissel, who failed to record an out before being relieved. After a single and two walks loaded the bases, designated hitter Boden Fernsler launched a grand slam to left field, silencing the home crowd. Right fielder Bode Grieve followed two batters later with a solo shot, staking the Leopards to a 6-0 lead before the Wolfpack had taken a swing.

That early barrage provided all the support needed for Helmick. The Lafayette starter was dominant, pitching eight innings and allowing just two earned runs on six hits while striking out three. He faced minimal trouble, effectively neutralizing a potent North Carolina State lineup that had averaged over 10 runs per game during its hot start. Helmick’s performance continued a strong personal streak, following a 6 1/3-inning, two-run outing against William & Mary on Feb. 27.

Lafayette added to its lead in the second inning when first baseman Liam Ebbs hit a solo home run to deep center. In the fourth, center fielder Ryan Ulisse hit a two-run homer, scoring Grieve who had walked, to extend the lead to 9-0.

The Wolfpack scratched across single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, both driven in by Johnson on infield singles, but Ebbs answered for Lafayette in the seventh with his second homer of the game, a solo shot to left.

North Carolina State’s Sam Harris, who followed Peissel, took the loss after allowing three earned runs over four innings of relief. Anderson Nance surrendered three runs over the next four frames.

Ulisse put the final exclamation point on the Lafayette victory in the ninth inning, blasting his second two-run homer of the game to left field, scoring Michael Dobil who had doubled, to make the score 11-2.

The Wolfpack mounted a last-gasp rally in the bottom of the ninth against the Lafayette bullpen. After Helmick exited, North Carolina State loaded the bases and scored four runs, highlighted by a three-run home run from center fielder Ty Head. Reliever Owen Basso entered with two on and one out, recording the final two outs to secure the improbable win.

Lafayette’s eight hits included five home runs. Ebbs finished 3 for 5 with two homers and two RBIs, Ulisse was 2 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs, and Fernsler’s first-inning grand slam accounted for his four RBIs. For North Carolina State, which out-hit Lafayette 10-8, Johnson went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and Andrew Wiggins was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

The Leopards, who had been outscored 111-28 during their 1-7 start, will look to build on the momentum in the second game of the series Saturday. The Wolfpack will aim to rebound from one of their most surprising losses of the young season.