PONCE, PUERTO RICO — During day one of the 2026 Puerto Rico Challenge in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where the first pitch of the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball season was thrown, Houston knocked off No. 21 Wake Forest, Indiana State defeated Manhattan, No. 17 NC State rolled past Washington and to round it all out, Boston College beat Seton Hall.
Houston knocks off No. 21 Wake Forest
Houston Baseball started its season with a bang, upsetting No. 21 Wake Forest, 8-2, in the first game of the NCAA Division I Baseball season on Friday morning at Estadio Paquito Montaner. The win marked Houston’s first against a ranked opponent since April 2, 2023, against No. 8 East Carolina.
To kick off the Puerto Rico Challenge Friday morning and 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball season, Houston took down No. 21 Wake Forest, marking the first major upset of the year and the program’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2023 – Image Credit: NCAA
Houston (1-0) capitalized on opportunities on offense while senior Paul Schmitz (1-0) started the game with 4.0 shutout innings to secure the win. Senior Chris Scinta picked up the save after tossing 4.0 shutout innings of his own. The Demon Deacons’ (0-1) Blake Morningstar (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing five runs in three innings.
Indiana State defeats Manhattan
Caden Miller and Nick Sutherlin both had three hits apiece and Sutherlin homered as Indiana State secured the season-opening 10-3 win over Manhattan in Estadio Paquito Montaner on Friday afternoon.
In the second game of the Puerto Rico Challenge Friday afternoon, Sycamore defeated Manhattan by a score of 10-3 on strong pitching performances from Ty Brooks, Jack Armstrong, Cole Chace and Carson Seeman – Image Credit: Indiana State Athletics
Indiana State (1-0) took the early 2-0 lead in the first inning as Sutherlin drove in Carter Beck with an RBI single and then came around to score on a bases-loaded walk to put the Sycamores ahead early. After the Sycamores scored five runs in the fifth sparked by a Jorge Cartagena two-run single, Sutherlin added a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth inning to drive in the final Indiana State runs in the game in support of strong pitching performances from Ty Brooks (1-0), Jack Armstrong, Cole Chace, and Carson Seeman.
No. 17 NC State rolls past Washington
The 2026 season couldn’t have opened any better for the Wolfpack (1-0) as the bats came alive and the pitching held the Huskies scoreless as NC State beat Washington 13-0 at Estadio Francisco Montaner Friday night. All nine starters scored a run while newcomers Dalton Bargo and Andrew Wiggins each went deep for their first home run with the Wolfpack.
The NC State Wolfpack threw a shutout on the Washington Huskies to secure their first victory of the 2026 season Friday night in Ponce, Puerto Rico – Image Credit: NC State Athletics
Bargo finished with three hits and two RBIs, while second baseman Luke Nixon had three hits and three RBIs as well. With the win, head coach Elliott Avent ties Jim Morris with the fourth most wins as an ACC member with 1,072 victories at NC State.
Boston College beats Seton Hall
Boston College (1-0) defeated Seton Hall (0-1) in the final game of the evening at the Puerto Rico Challenge on Friday night, 6-4. A.J. Colarusso started for the Eagles and threw four innings while giving up two runs.
Seton Hall continued to hold Boston College at bay until the fifth inning when Carter Hendrickson knocked a double down the left field line, which drove in Julio Solier, who had singled earlier in the inning. Hendrickson then stole third, which was his second of the evening, and came in to score on a sac fly by Nick Wang.
With the Eagles winning 6-4, Boston College and Seton Hall closed out Day 1 of the 2026 Puerto Rico Challenge Friday night in Ponce – Image Credit: Boston College Athletics
One batter after he doubled and stole third, Ty Mainolfi put the Eagles ahead 3-2 when he scored on a wild pitch. Cesar Gonzalez came on for Colarusso in the bottom of the fifth and struck out his first two batters before giving up a two-run home run, which restored the one-run advantage for Seton Hall.
Both teams traded zeros in the sixth, and at the top of the seventh, Hendrickson connected on his second double of the game and was brought in immediately after by Wang. Boston College then loaded the bases with one out, before Jack Toomey brought in Wang on a sac fly.
Gain Soares, who wrapped up the night on the mound for BC, came in for relief of Gonzalez with one out in the bottom of the seventh and escaped a first and third when the Eagles turned the game’s only double play.
The Puerto Rico Challenge resumes Saturday with four games occurring throughout the day – Image Credit: Puerto Rico Challenge
To tune in to the 2026 Puerto Rico Challenge from home this Saturday, Sunday and Monday, please visit VictoryPlus.com for more additional streaming details.
And to learn more about the Puerto Rico Challenge, check out the tournament’s official website at theprbaseballchallenge.com as well as on Instagram (@pr.baseballchallenge).
Information Courtesy of Houston Athletics, Indiana State Athletics, NC State Athletics and Boston College Athletics
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Julio
February 14, 2026 at 10:10 am
Excellent roundup of the games’!!!!