The N.C. State softball team opened its season this past weekend at Florida International University’s Panther Invitational in Miami, Fl., and came away with first place, beating the Kansas Jayhawks, 3-2, Sunday afternoon in the title game.
The win was especially satisfying for the Wolfpack after that same Kansas team shut it out, 8-0, Friday. Overall, the Pack went 4-1 in the season-opening tournament, also tallying a win against Georgetown Friday and two victories against host Florida International Saturday.
“I’m a little excited,” first-year head coach Shawn Rychcik said. “It feels good, getting a win to open the season.”
Sophomore pitcher Emily Weiman was one of the heroes for State, earning four wins over the course of the tournament. In the championship game, Weiman pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Additionally, she pitched both games Saturday as well as the win against Georgetown, in which she had 11 strikeouts and no walks.
Despite the heavy workload, Weiman isn’t worried about her arm.
“It’s a little sore, but I’ll be having treatment tomorrow,” Weiman said. “So I’ll be all right.”
On Friday, the Pack gave up an early run to Georgetown in the bottom of the first inning, but that turned out to be the only one they would allow, cruising to a 5-1 win against the Hoyas. State blasted four home runs in the game, three of them of the solo variety. The second game was a stark opposite, as the Pack managed just one hit in the shutout loss to Kansas.
In Saturday’s games with the Panthers, State used both defense and offense to sweep a pair of games. In game one, Weiman limited FIU to just two hits while striking out four batters in a 1-0 win. The only run of the game came on a fifth inning RBI single by junior catcher Kirsty Grant to score junior pinch runner Hayley Stowe.
Game two featured fireworks from the Wolfpack as it struck for six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back, winning 11-3 to put itself in the title game. Senior left fielder Bethaney Wells led the charge with a three-run homer. Wells had four RBIs for the game.
The Pack drew Kansas once again, and this game was much different than the first meeting. State fell behind in the first inning, 2-0, but behind Weiman’s arm and an error-free defensive effort, did not surrender another run. Meanwhile, State’s offense used small-ball to tie the game in the top of the second on RBI singles by junior infielder Chelsea Tate and senior shortstop Katie Mansilla.
“We did a really good job of adjusting to the pitcher that we faced the first time,” Weiman said. “That forced them to pull her and put in another pitcher, and that put pressure on them.”
The Wolfpack broke the tie in its half of the fourth when freshman Hanna Sommer launched a solo home run. Weiman and the rest of the State defense took it from there, giving the Pack the trophy in their season opening event.
N.C. State will return to Florida next weekend, this time to Tampa to compete in the USF Four-Team Tournament. Also competing are host South Florida, Coastal Carolina and Tennessee.
“It should be a good test for us,” Rychcik said. “We’re gonna have our ups and downs this season, but this puts us in a pretty good frame of mind going into that weekend.”
