NC State softball snapped an 11-game losing streak on Tuesday night after a 7-0 Game 2 victory over the Longwood Lancers.
The Wolfpack (22-23) came into the game looking to snap its losing streak after a tough stretch against ranked ACC opponents. This was the Pack’s first win since its 8-2 victory over Charlotte on March 26. The doubleheader against Longwood (10-27) offered a chance to reset.
The first game was a sluggish one at the plate for both teams, scoreless through six innings. Longwood homered in the top of the seventh to take a 1-0 lead in the final frame. The Wolfpack was unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, clinching the Lancers a 1-0 victory in the first game. Junior pitcher Rylee Wyman had a good overall day, only allowing three hits and one run at the end of her outing.
Game 2 unfolded much differently for the Wolfpack. Sophomore center fielder Tori Ensley opened the scoring with a three-run home run in the first inning. Freshman shortstop Kendall Simmers followed with another three-run shot in the second, quickly extending the lead to 6-0.
“I just wanted to come up big for my team,” Ensely said. “I’m not usually a huge power hitter. I’ve just been working on swinging harder. I just got a hold of that one and wanted to put our team on top.”
After a couple scoreless innings, freshman third baseman Taryn Massey hit a home run to extend the Pack’s lead to 7-0. The Wolfpack flipped the script, earning a shutout of its own to close the day, clinching the win and snapping the streak.
“It’s nice, we needed that,” said head coach Lindsay Leftwich. “We needed that one. When we roll back out to UNC, it will get hard again, but we’re gonna take every little win we get right now. Whether it’s in the win column or not, wins at bats, wins at practice, every win we can find, we’re gonna try and do that and keep running with it.”
A big performer for the Pack today was sophomore pitcher Carly Maxton. Maxton pitched for the entirety of Game 2, allowing just one hit and tallying a career-high 12 strikeouts.
“That was awesome to watch her come out and just pitch confidently after the lineups that she’s faced in the last couple of weeks and I was really proud of her resiliency right there,” said Leftwich. “She kept going. It was really cool.”
As the red-and-white moves forward, it has to look at today as nothing but a positive. Getting a bounce back win in a double header and breaking an 11-game losing streak is going to be a good feeling, no matter the sport, and the Pack can use this as a motivator to finish the regular season strong and sneak into the ACC Tournament. This will come crucial as the Pack’s next series is on the road against ACC rival North Carolina.
The Wolfpack will play its next game on Thursday, April 17 when it travels to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
