In its first game of the Homewood Suites by Hilton RDU/RTP Challenge, the NC State softball team beat Niagara 9-1.
In a dominant performance from start to finish, the Wolfpack (16-11, 3-5 ACC) used big games from sophomore right fielder Angie Rizzi and sophomore catcher Haylee Kobziak to invoke the mercy rule on the overmatched Purple Eagles (5-15).
Rizzi reached base in all three of her plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored. Kobziak knocked in two of the Wolfpack’s runs, going 3 for 3 with a home run in the third inning.
Senior starting pitcher Harli Hubbard (2-1, 0.50 ERA) picked up the win for the Wolfpack, nearly going the distance in a mercy rule-shortened game. Hubbard threw 4.2 innings, allowing one run, striking out two Niagara batters and surrendering just three hits while issuing four walks.
The Wolfpack exploded out of the gates, breaking the game open in the first inning and following that up with an equally explosive second inning.
On the back of hits from Kobziak, freshman left fielder Sam Russ (0 for 1, walk) and senior shortstop Alyssa Compton (1 for 2, two RBIs), and some timely Golden Eagles errors, the Wolfpack plated four runs in the first inning to take an early 4-0 lead.
Two hits and another Niagara error helped the Wolfpack score three more runs in the second inning, as freshman third baseman Timberlyn Shurbutt (0 for 3, run), junior first baseman Cheyenne Balzer (1 for 1, walk) and freshman second baseman Chandley Garner (0 for 1, RBI) each knocked in a run for the Pack to push the score to 7-0.
NC State added an insurance run in the third inning when Kobziak took Niagara’s starting pitcher, Sierra Bertrand, deep to left field, giving the Pack an 8-0 lead.
The Eagles avoided a four-and-a-half inning mercy rule by scoring a run in the top of the fifth with Hubbard slipping up for the first time in the game. After a one-out walk to Niagara second baseman Kendall Watkins, Hubbard threw two consecutive wild pitches that advanced Watkins to third base. Hubbard got the batter to ground out to shortstop, but Watkins scored and the mercy rule was delayed.
The Wolfpack made sure to invoke the mercy rule in the bottom half of the inning though, loading the bases for sophomore center fielder Jade Caraway (0 for 1, two walks, two RBIs), who flew out to deep left and plated Kobziak to give NC State the rare mercy rule walkoff win.
The Wolfpack will play the second game of its doubleheader at 5:45 against Marist at Dail Softball Stadium.
