The NC State softball team beat Elon Wednesday night by a score of 7-0 behind freshman catcher Lily Bishop’s two home runs.
Wednesday’s game was an excellent offensive showing for a Wolfpack (6-4) team that hadn’t scored more than five runs in its last six games entering play today. The Wolfpack smacked nine hits on the day, including four extra-base hits (two home runs, one triple, one double).
Freshman outfielder Sam Russ got the scoring going for the Wolfpack in the second inning, driving in junior designated hitter Natalie Jones with a single to center field before sophomore outfielder Jade Caraway scored on an errant throw to second base by Elon catcher Walker Barbee.
Bishop pushed the Wolfpack’s lead to 3-0 in the third inning with a solo home run to left field and came back up in the fifth inning with another home run to left field, this time a two-run shot to extend the Wolfpack lead to 5-0.
“I just went up there with a clear mind,” Bishop said. “I said ‘just hit your one pitch that you want’ and I got those two pitches, those two at bats.”
The Wolfpack came into the game looking to take advantage of Elon’s starting pitcher Kiandra Mitchum’s changeup. NC State coach Shawn Rychcik said his team was prepared to hit Mitchum’s changeup whenever possible.
“We knew that changeup was going to come to a lot of our batters,” Rychcik said. “[Mitchum] fell into exactly what we’ve been working on.
Bishop agreed with Coach Rychcik, saying the “one pitch” she was looking for was a changeup over the plate.
“I was just looking for her changeup,” Bishop said. “I got a hold of one.”
After Bishop’s two-run homer knocked Mitchum out of the game, the Wolfpack instantly jumped on the Phoenix’s relief pitcher, Abby Barker. Back-to-back hits by freshman second baseman Chandley Garner and Jones and a fielder’s choice from sophomore outfielder Angie Rizzi led to runners on first and second for Caraway.
Caraway smacked the first pitch she saw off the centerfield wall, plating Jones and Rizzi to increase the Pack’s lead to 7-0 and sliding in safe to third base for a triple.
Bishop led the way for the Wolfpack, going 2 for 3 with two home runs and three RBI. Caraway chipped in the other half of the Wolfpack’s extra-base hits, going 2 for 4 with a double, triple and two RBI. Jones, making her first start of the season, reached base every at-bat on the day, going 2 for 2 and reaching on a walk to go along with scoring two runs. Jones is now 3 for 3 on the season and has reached base in all four of her plate appearances.
“I just had a hitter’s mindset,” Jones said. “Everyone’s goal is batting 1.000 so my goal is batting 1.000 but I’d be happy with hitting .500.”
Freshman pitchers Kama Woodall and Devin Wallace combined to shut out the Phoenix to deliver the Wolfpack its first shutout of the season. Woodall went two innings, allowing zero runs and three hits. Wallace closed out the final five innings for the Pack, allowing zero runs.
The Phoenix (7-4) ultimately wasn’t able to overcome stranding 10 runners on base. Elon knocked around the Wolfpack for seven hits, but Woodall and Wallace escaped jam after jam. Woodall was able to work her way out of a bases-loaded jam twice in a row in the fourth and fifth innings.
Coming off a weekend that saw the Wolfpack compete hard for four games in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, NC State brought that same intensity in its drubbing of the Phoenix. Rychcik hopes his team can keep up the strong intensity, and plans to do so by putting his team in position to take advantage of certain matchups.
“We’ll continue to put the best people in the best situations, trying to match our strengths to their weaknesses,” Rychcik said.
The Wolfpack returns to action Friday at 2:30 p.m. to kick off the weekend’s Homewood Suites by Hilton RDU/RTP invitational at Dail Softball Stadium against Delaware State.
