The NC State softball team eked out a 1-0 win at home against the Longwood Lancers on Wednesday, April 6.
The Pack (26-13) and the Lancers (16-19) only notched one hit each, but a fifth-inning RBI triple by fifth-year center fielder Brittany Jackson proved to be the difference between a win and a loss for NC State.
Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann tossed a gem for the Wolfpack, pitching a complete game shutout on one hit, three walks and seven strikeouts. While Longwood starter Er’ron Burton also pitched well, notching eight strikeouts in six innings of one-run ball, Weixlmann beat out Burton in the tightly contested pitcher’s duel.
The two right-handers were neck-and-neck for most of the game, as neither team could muster a hit through the first four innings. Weixlmann surrendered her only allowed hit of the day in the top of the fifth when a well-placed bunt down the third base line by Mason Basdikis resulted in an infield single, but that frame could have turned out worse for the Pack as the Lancers ultimately left two runners on base.
Korynna Anderson drew a leadoff walk to give Longwood its first baserunner since the second inning and Lauren Fox later laid down a sacrifice bunt to put both Anderson and Basdikis in scoring position with two outs. Weixlmann managed to escape the jam, however, engineered a groundout to graduate shortstop Randi Farricker to end the inning.
Head coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift and the Wolfpack capitalized on their own scoring chance in the bottom half of the inning. Redshirt sophomore designated player Libby Whittaker reached first on an error to put the go-ahead run on base with one out. Patrick-Swift maximized her team’s chances of scoring by sending freshman Maddy Schmeiser in to pinch run for Whittaker. Jackson laced a triple down the right field line to send Schmeiser home for the game’s only run.
After both squads went down in order in the sixth, the Lancers stranded another pair of baserunners as Weixlmann punctuated her stellar performance with a game-ending strikeout.
The Wolfpack will head down to Columbia, South Carolina for the Garnet and Black Round Robin starting Friday, April 8. The Pack will start the competition with a doubleheader, taking on East Tennessee State at 11 a.m. followed by South Carolina at 2 p.m.
