NC State softball won two of four games in Columbia, South Carolina, beating ETSU twice and losing to South Carolina twice. The Pack also beat the Longwood Lancers at home before hitting the road.
NC State (28-15) started the week with a 1-0 victory against Longwood (19-19) before going to South Carolina. The Wolfpack played ETSU and USC in alternating games, defeating the Buccaneers (5-34) by scores of 4-0 and 5-3, respectively. South Carolina (23-17) beat the Pack 9-3 then 3-1.
Almost all five games had narrow scores, testing the Wolfpack in nonconference play. Let’s dive in and see how each positional group of the softball team performed.
Pitching
Redshirt sophomore righty Aisha Weixlmann appeared in three of the five games. One of those three was a one-hit shutout against Longwood. Weixlmann recorded seven strikeouts that day, continuing to lead the Pack with 117 total strikeouts on the season. Weixlmann also pitched five innings in the second game against ETSU where she recorded six strikeouts and allowed one earned run.
Graduate lefty Maddie McPherson was the other main pitcher who saw the circle. McPherson pitched six innings in game one against ETSU, recording 10 strikeouts and only three hits. She tossed 4.1 innings in game one against USC and six in game two and gave up few runs in both outings.
Redshirt sophomore righty Sam Gress did not see any action this time around, but freshman first baseman Michele Tarpay showed off her pitching skills against ETSU. She only pitched three innings between the two games, but recorded three strikeouts and only gave up two runs in game two.
Batting
Fifth-year third baseman Logan Morris hit two homers over the five games, even going 2 for 2 against South Carolina in game one. However, Morris only had two RBIs in the five games and hit a combined 4 for 14 for the box. She still had an impressive .409 batting average on the season but performed under par this time around.
Fifth-year center fielder Brittany Jackson recorded the first triple of the season for the Wolfpack against Longwood, bringing in the lone run to win the game. She did not get another hit in the following games.
Graduate shortstop Randi Farricker scored three runs against ETSU with a double and by stealing home in game two. However, Farricker did not have much production outside of that game.
As a team, the Wolfpack posted low batting averages, going .048 against Longwood and game one of the ETSU matchup. The Pack improved against South Carolina, recording .167 and .217, but could not get near .300. This lack of offense cost the Pack a win against the Gamecocks and forced it to drop the tight matches.
The Wolfpack travels to Atlanta this weekend to take on Georgia Tech in a three-game series. The Pack does not play any midweek matches this time around, so the full week of rest should benefit the team.
