The NC State softball team picked up its first midweek win of the season Wednesday afternoon, mercy-ruling Elon 12-4 in a rainy affair filled with home runs at Dail Softball Stadium.
The Wolfpack (6-4) cruised to a big first-inning lead on the back of three home runs and never looked back, scoring a season-high 12 runs and overpowering the Phoenix (7-2) for its third win over Elon in the teams’ last four matchups.
“Even the singles and ground balls were just shots,” said NC State coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift. “That was exciting. The goal is to carry it into the weekend.”
NC State jumped ahead early and scored often, with junior left fielder Sam Russ (3 for 4, 3 runs) singling to left field. Two batters later, as Russ and senior right fielder Tatyana Forbes (2 for 3, RBI, BB) stood on third and second base, respectively, junior infielder Logan Morris (2 for 4, HR, three RBI) took a two-strike pitch deep to left field for a home run, giving the Pack a three-run lead just three batters into the game.
The first-inning fireworks weren’t over yet, though. With senior designated player Brigette Nordberg (1 for 2) on second base, redshirt junior infielder Randi Farricker (2 for 3, HR, three RBI) crushed a home run of her own, driving in Nordberg and putting a five-spot on the scoreboard.
After a leadoff home run in the top of the second inning got Elon on the board, senior right-hander Devin Wallace (5 IP, ER, 7 K) shut the Phoenix down 1-2-3 to hand the bats back over to her hot-swinging teammates. It took just two pitches for the home run party to pick back up, as sophomore infielder April Visser (1 for 2, HR) took an 0-1 fastball over the left-field fence for a solo dinger, her second home run of the season. Russ followed up Visser’s bomb with a single, and after stealing second base and advancing to third on a throwing error, Forbes drove Russ in with a groundout to second base, putting the Pack up 7-1.
“We knew what we were gonna get off-speed-wise and location-wise,” said senior center fielder Angie Rizzi (2 for 4, HR, 3 RBI). “But our mindset never changes, especially on Wednesdays. We want to go up there to the plate hacking, getting after it and just being aggressive … Coach even said two of the balls we hit out today could have been balls but that’s what we do, we just go up there and hack.”
After the teams traded runs in the bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth, the Wolfpack ended the game with a four-run sixth inning.
Russ led off the inning with a bunt single for her third hit of the game and proceeded to steal second. Forbes drove her in just a couple pitches later and after Morris singled, Rizzi stepped to the plate and ended the game with one swing, launching a three-run home run off the scoreboard in right field, putting NC State up 12-4 and forcing the mercy rule.
“My first home run as a senior, it was awesome,” Rizzi said. “I had that mindset walking up to the plate of ‘I want to walk it off’, as a senior that’s just dope. I wanted to do it myself.
Russ’ first-inning stolen base was the 60th of her NC State career, moving the star junior into second place on the Wolfpack’s all-time stolen base list. With three on the day, Russ sits 26 stolen bases back of No. 1 all time.
“I will take her legs and challenge them against any catcher in the country,” Patrick-Swift said. “She’s that fast, she’s that good, she gets that good a jump and she doesn’t leave early.”
NC State will return to action Friday, Feb. 21 for its first game of the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational, a weekend round robin it will be hosting at Dail Softball Stadium. The Wolfpack will play Bucknell at 3 p.m. and Saint Joseph’s 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
