NC State softball ended a disappointing season with a disappointing pair of 8-0 run-rule losses in Auburn, Alabama against the Tigers.
Coming into the series, the Pack had already finished up conference play and was effectively eliminated from the ACC tournament after going 6-18 and finishing 14th in the standings — one win outside of the 12-team tournament field.
NC State (25-29) fell prey to Auburn (32-21) in almost every facet of the game, producing next to no offense and unable to cage the Tigers’ high-powered hitters, who recorded three home runs and 17 hits in the series. The Pack tallied just three hits and reached base just nine times. The pitching staff gave up eight runs in each game, reaching the maximum agreed deficit causing both to be called in the sixth inning.
Originally, the series was scheduled to feature three games, but Saturday’s game was canceled due to inclement weather.
Game 1
Sophomore pitcher Carly Maxton started the game in the circle, giving up a two-out two-run home run in the first inning to put the Pack behind early. Her outing ended in the third after walking the leadoff batter, with the ball being handed to junior pitcher Wynne Gore. Gore went 2.2 innings, giving up six hits. Both pitchers allowed three earned runs.
Junior pitcher Rylee Wyman entered in the sixth to try and keep the Tigers from scoring the game-ending eighth run, but an Auburn rally and game-winning RBI-single vanquished the Pack’s seventh-inning comeback hopes.
On the offensive side, the Pack tallied two hits and two walks and reached scoring position four times. The splits tell the difference in the game. Auburn went 7-for-9 at the plate with runners on, while NC State went 0-for-9. In total, the Tigers hit 10-for-25, while the Pack hit 2-for-20.
The Pack’s best offensive performers in Game 1, junior designated player Hannah Church and junior second baseman Teagan Thrunk, both went 1-for-2, with Church also working a walk.
Game 2
While the Pack offense was dormant in Game 1, it was inactive in Game 2. Freshman shortstop Kendall Simmers recorded the lone hit — a leadoff double in the fourth — immediately followed up two pitches later by a double play off a comebacker caught by the pitcher and Simmers was thrown out trying to get back to second base.
The same three pitchers who appeared in Game 1 also appeared in Game 2. Gore got the start on Sunday, giving up three runs and four hits in 2.1 innings. Wyman entered next, giving up one unearned run and getting three outs, but defensive mistakes forced Wyman to throw extra pitches and come out of the game. Maxton pitched the final 1.2 innings, giving up three hits and four earned runs — causing another run-rule finish.
The Wolfpack pitching staff struggled to keep the ball in the strike zone, throwing 61 balls compared to just 65 strikes. In the series, the Pack threw 106 balls and walked 10 batters, while Tigers threw just 57 and walked four.
With the season wrapped up, there is a lot of work to be done for NC State softball to reemerge as an ACC contender. The Pack has not appeared in the conference tournament since 2022, and has not won it since 2013. Head coach Lindsay Leftwich’s team showed mediocre results in year 2, similar to her first season where the team went 30-23 and 6-18 in conference play.
