It was an eventful spring break for the NC State softball team with two wins and a loss against Virginia Tech early in the week and the NC State Doubletree RDU Challenge to wrap up the week.
The Wolfpack (12-11) shutout Delaware State Friday with a 12-0 run-rule win at home, the first of the season. Immediately following the match, NC State took on Loyola Chicago and won 8-0.
“I’m really happy with our performance, getting a couple shutouts and we scored a lot of runs,” head coach Shawn Rychcik said. “We’ve been waiting for this kind of offensive production, and it was throughout our batting order from top to bottom.”
Freshman Brittany Nimmo pitched the first four innings of the Delaware game, striking out three batters in her second win of the season in the pitching circle. Sophomore Harli Hubbard relieved her teammate in the fifth and final inning, only allowing one hit.
The Pack was in the lead 4-0 going into the third inning where the team hit eight runs.
“We were pretty sharp in all aspects of the game with some good pitching, good hitting and good defense,” Rychcik said.
Junior Courtney Mirabella pitched her first shutout win in the first match against Loyola Chicago. She struck out five batters, walked two and only allowed three hits on the match.
Junior Tyler Ross was in her groove, as she went a perfect 3 for 3 at bat. Sophomore Macauley Prickett was 2 for 2 with two runs scored.
However, Saturday was a wash, with two 7-3 losses with Northwestern Illinois and Loyola Chicago.
NC State took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Ross and Lana Van Dyken. Van Dyken walked, stole second and made it home on a hit by Ross who followed her teammate off the next hit. Northern Illinois regained momentum in the third inning after hitting a run and two-run homer to make it 3-2. The Pack couldn’t come back after NIU scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Loyola came out strong in the rematch with the Pack and led 4-0 in the third inning. Hanna Sommer put up two points for the Pack in the fourth inning after hitting her fourth home run of the season. Loyola made a run in the fifth and two in the seventh to prevent NC State from coming back. The Wolfpack would have tied at the last second, but the hit was caught outfield and ended the game.
The three pitchers, Nimmo, Mirabella and Hubbard, all saw action in the circle against Illinois and Loyola Chicago.
Sunday concluded play in the Challenge with the Wolfpack taking on Delaware again. The Pack made its third run-rule shutout victory, taking the match 8-0.
Ross is perfect at 12 for 12 this season and Prickett went 3 for 3 on the match with two runs scored.
Mirabella pitched the entire match only allowing two hits and striking out five batters. It was her eighth win in the circle for NC State this season.
The Wolfpack will face the Tar Heels at Chapel Hill Wednesday.
