The trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in California was a learning experience for the NC State softball team.
The Wolfpack (6-8, 0-0 ACC) went into the weekend knowing the strength of its opponents and focused on self-improvement rather than wins and losses.
Missouri was a tough start to the Classic as State lost 17-2 Thursday. Missouri took an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning. The No. 17 team held control of the diamond the rest of the match.
There were solid performances from the State roster. Sophomore Meredith Burroughs had a solo home run to put the Wolfpack on the board, her fourth of the season. Junior Tyler Ross had a solo home run, her fifth of the season.
In the game against Florida later that night, Courtney Mirabella struck out seven batters and walked seven. Sophomore Macauley Prickett scored off an RBI by Burroughs and Lana Van Dyken scored off a sac fly by Maggie Hawkins.
The Pack held tight to Florida but lost 5-2. Both Missouri and Florida remained undefeated on the season.
It was a morale boosting 7-5 win as NC State started fast against the California Golden Bears Friday evening. Ross scored first for the Wolfpack hitting a homer off the second pitch of the game, her sixth of the season.
The No. 25 team fired back with a pair of runs but the Wolfpack took the lead again with a two run homer from Hanna Sommer, her second homer of the year after returning from injury.
It continued to be a back and forth contest when California evened the score in the bottom of the third. Burroughs hit her fifth homer of the season to put the Pack up 5-3 in the fifth inning. Hawkins hit a two run homer to advance the lead to 7-3 in the top of the seventh. Even with a two-run rally from the Golden Bears, NC State held on to the lead to take the game, its first of the weekend.
Mirabella and Harli Hubbard shared the pitching duties for the Pack. Mirabella struck out four batters and walked three in the first four innings. Hubbard struck out a batter and earned her first career save in the final three innings.
The Wolfpack and Stanford battled for control in the first match on Saturday. Stanford took an early 3-0 lead after six walks by NC State. The Pack tied the score at five in the second inning. The Cardinals returned with a four-run inning and held this momentum despite the Pack rallying. Stanford took the game 15-9.
Freshman Brittany Nimmo debuted in the match against the Cardinals and pitched three strikeouts. Burroughs and Ross came through again both contributing a home run. Prickett hit her first triple of her State career and the first of the season for the Wolfpack.
No. 2 Michigan was the late-night final match of the weekend. Ross hit a leadoff home run getting the Pack to an early start, her eighth leading hit of the season.
The Wolverines didn’t catch up until the fourth inning with four runs. The Wolfpack was unable to regain momentum and lost 9-1.
NC State returns to Dail Stadium to compete against the UNC-Charlotte 49ers Wednesday.
