After dropping its second contest to Syracuse in its three-game series, NC State softball came back to win its final game against Syracuse 5-4 on Sunday, March 6. The Pack is now 18-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.
Graduate student lefty pitcher Maddie McPherson pitched all seven innings for the Pack and took the win, bringing her to 5-1 on the season. In 88 pitches, McPherson only allowed eight hits and four runs from the Orange. She recorded four strikeouts, which is low for her as her last game pitching more than one inning, she recorded nine strikeouts in five innings pitched. McPherson’s ERA for the game was 1.97.
Syracuse (10-6, 1-2 ACC) started off with bats swinging in the first inning, getting on the board first on a sacrifice fly to right field. The Pack had a quick answer to that, scoring on a double to right to tie the score 1-1 at the end of the first inning. Both teams had two hits each in the first.
After an uneventful second inning and one hit from Syracuse in the top of the third, the Pack offense came out with hot bats. Freshman first baseman Michele Tarpey came out with the bases loaded and hit a double to center field to bring all three runners home in one swing to bring the score to 4-1 with the Pack on top.
The Pack had one hit in the fourth inning, but to no avail and neither team was able to do anything in the fourth. The Orange had a response to NC State’s eventful third inning in the top of the fifth. On two back-to-back single hits, Syracuse had three runners cross home plate to tie up the score at 4-4.
Fifth-year third baseman Logan Morris recorded the one and only home run of the game in the bottom of the fifth to put the Pack back on top 5-4. Her last game to record a dinger was against Elon where she sent two over the fence.
Neither team could get anything going in the sixth or seventh innings, leaving NC State to win the game 5-4 and to win the series.
Tarpey led the team in batting, recording two hits, four RBIs and two doubles in this final game of the series.
NC State softball will face North Carolina Central University at Dail Softball Stadium on Tuesday, March 8 at 5 p.m. for a quick break in ACC play. The Pack will have its next ACC series against Duke in Durham from March 11-13.
