In the final stretch of its regular season schedule, the NC State softball team took on the Norfolk State Spartans in a midweek doubleheader. The Pack was able to take down the Spartans in both games with some dominant defense led by some stellar pitching throughout the day.
Game One
To start the doubleheader, NC State beat the Spartans 4-1 thanks to a career day from graduate left-handed pitcher Maddie McPherson. McPherson hurled a complete seven innings, a career-high 14 strikeouts and only surrendered one hit on a solo home run that gave Norfolk State its only run of the first game.
McPherson wasted no time when starting her monster performance, tallying three straight strikeouts in the first inning alone. After notching another strikeout in the second inning, she again struck out the side in the third before collecting another three between the fourth and fifth innings, continuing to stifle the Spartans’ offense.
As McPherson dominated on the mound, the Pack’s offense had an impressive fourth inning to go up 4-0 after both teams went scoreless in the first three frames. Fifth year third baseman Logan Morris got the party started with a one-out double, and fifth year catcher Sam Sack followed that up with a two-run homer to center field that put NC State up 2-0.
The Wolfpack wasn’t done yet, however. After Sack’s home run, NC State quickly put runners on second and third with a pair of singles from graduate shortstop Randi Farricker and freshman first baseman Michele Tarpey. A sac fly from graduate right fielder Taylor Johnson scored Farricker and a wild pitch allowed Tarpey to run through, giving NC State a 4-0 lead.
In the fifth, Norfolk State scored its only run of the game on a solo shot, providing the only blemish on McPherson’s stellar day. With a 4-1 lead, neither team added to their respective totals for the rest of the game, with the Pack’s offense only adding one more hit after its important fourth inning.
However, McPherson continued to steal the show in the late innings. She added four more strikeouts in the sixth and seventh to give her 14 on the day, a career-high for the veteran lefty. McPherson continues to show how crucial her role is to the Pack’s pitching rotation and to the team overall
Game Two
The second leg of NC State’s doubleheader versus Norfolk State brought more pitching prowess to the table. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Aisha Weixlmann followed up McPherson’s impressive performance with one of her own as she too held the Spartans to one run in the Pack’s 7-1 win.
Like McPherson, Weixlmann threw a complete game, allowing four hits and one earned run while throwing seven strikeouts. Weixlmann and the rest of NC State’s defense held the Spartans hitless through the first three innings while the Pack’s bats warmed up.
Unlike the first game, NC State’s offense was hot for the entire second half of the doubleheader. Scoring in five straight innings and tallying 10 hits, the Pack was determined to keep increasing its lead while pitching and defense continued to dominate.
NC State’s scoring spree started in the first as sophomore second baseman Kaylee Lambrecht hit a double and scored on a wild pitch, giving the Pack a 1-0 lead all by herself.
The second inning saw a pair of back-to-back NC State home runs that gave the Pack a 3-0 lead. Johnson’s bomb to left field was followed by graduate designated player Carson Shaner’s homer to center in consecutive at-bats. NC State wasn’t done in the second, however, as a single from sophomore left fielder Gracie Roberts, two Spartan errors and two walks sent Roberts home, putting the Pack up 4-0.
Shaner was once again able to help the Pack’s offense when she doubled in the bottom of the third. After advancing on a wild pitch, she scored during a groundout that increased the lead to 5-0.
NC State extended its lead by adding one run each in the fourth and fifth innings. To make it 6-1 in the fourth, Morris followed up fifth year center fielder Brittany Jackson’s walk with a single, and Jackson then scored due to a fielding error. In the fifth, Roberts singled before advancing to second on a wild pitch, then a single from Jackson drove in Roberts and finished the Pack’s scoring for the day.
The Spartans were once again only able to muster one run off of a solo home run. Weixlmann and the NC State defense gave up two of its four hits in the fourth, one of which was the solo blast to right field. Weixlmann proceeded to cruise through the rest of the game though, throwing five more strikeouts and allowing two hits through the last three innings, ending the game with seven strikeouts in the Wolfpack’s 7-1 win.
After the defensive domination displayed by NC State in the doubleheader against Norfolk State, the Pack will look to carry this success into the final series of the season against Florida State.
NC State will start its series against the Seminoles on Friday, May 6 at 6 p.m. to finish the regular season.
