NC State softball dropped the second game of its series against No. 11 Virginia Tech 3-0 Saturday night at Dail Softball Stadium in a defensive contest where the Pack only recorded two hits and four walks. The pitching staff gave seven solid innings, but it is impossible to win without crossing home plate. NC State only had one runner reach third base in the contest.
The Wolfpack (21-18, 4-10 ACC) didn’t record its first hit until the sixth inning, a two-out single by senior right fielder Taylor Ensley, which was followed up by a popout to end the inning. When the Pack broke up the no-hitter, it seemed like things might be starting to go its way. Especially when it retired Virginia Tech’s (31-5, 10-1 ACC) final batter with a clutch double play in the top of the seventh.
Head coach Lindsay Leftwich said before Ensley’s hit, the Pack was doing anything to get on the board.
“You just play all the old baseball cliches — talking about the no-hitter in every spot of the dugout, doing anything you can to mix it up,” Leftwich said. “And it’s nice to finally get the first one out there.”
The superstitions did not pay off for the Pack, though, as it could not follow up on junior catcher Hannah Church’s leadoff single in the seventh, and the game ended with NC State tallying no runs. But looking from a positive lens, the Pack did not roll over and fought until the final out.
“It was nice that they kept chipping away as the innings went on and figured out how to do it at the end there,” Leftwich said. “We just have to get hits when it matters. We have to have a few better, productive at-bats throughout the entire lineup.”
Sophomore starting pitcher Carly Maxton spun three scoreless innings to begin the game. The Hokies were consistently connecting in their at-bats, but weren’t breaking through. In the first three innings, the Hokies had six outfield popouts. That changed in the fourth when Virginia Tech third baseman Bre Peck blasted a two-run home run to take a 2-0 lead at the midway point.
Maxton was pulled after giving up the home run, and junior pitcher Wynne Gore took her spot in the circle. Gore gave up a few hits, and the Hokies scored on a botched double play attempt where the throw went errant, with one runner crossing the plate, unearned. But in the final frames, Gore kept it clean to give her offense a chance.
“I am never stressed about anything, and I know that I have a great defense behind me,” Gore said. “So I’m honestly just pitching to keep us in the game, knowing that whatever I do will give us the best to score runs later.”
After a poor performance on the mound in the series opener Friday night, Leftwich is optimistic about her team.
“I thought it was a gutsy response from them today,” Leftwich said. “After giving up 15 hits yesterday to an offensive juggernaut, and today only giving up three.”
The Pack will hope to quell that same offensive juggernaut once again for Game 3 Sunday, as it takes on Virginia Tech at Dail Softball Stadium. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
