In its first non-tournament game of the season, NC State softball traveled to Elon and took down the Phoenix in a 4-0 victory on Tuesday night. Coming off a three-game losing streak in Boca Raton, Florida, the win was a much-needed confidence boost for the Wolfpack

As she’s done all season, sophomore left fielder Tori Ensley got NC State going early, opening the game with a double. While her sister, senior right fielder Taylor Ensley, was in the batter’s box, a wild pitch allowed Tori to creep over to third base, placing her in prime scoring position.

Not one to waste an opportunity, junior pitcher Madison Inscoe brought Tori Ensley home with an RBI single. Though Inscoe is known for her prowess in the pitching circle, she holds the fourth-highest on-base percentage among starters at 35.5%.

Since being moved to the leadoff hitter, Tori Ensley has thrived in her new role, recording a .333 batting average — the highest on the team.

Similarly to NC State, Elon recorded a double in the first frame but failed to capitalize after strong pitching from Inscoe. The Phoenix stranded two runners on base in the first inning, a recurring theme for the rest of the game.

Pitchers took over in the second inning as both teams combined for just one hit, courtesy of senior third baseman Hannah Goodwin, but even that came after a 3-2 struggle with Elon pitcher Anna Dew.

Tori Ensley once again led off the third inning with another hit and Inscoe reached first base with a walk, but NC State failed to capitalize after back-to-back outs, stranding both runners on base. Inscoe let up back-to-back hits in the bottom of the third, but forced two straight outs to keep her shutout hopes alive.

The Wolfpack broke open the game in the fourth inning, beginning with a single from redshirt senior catcher Payden Bordeau. Goodwin got on base after a four-ball walk, and with runners on first and second base, junior center fielder Ellie Goins crushed a double to center field to give the Wolfpack its second run of the game. But instead of stranding its runners on base as it had done in the past, the red-and-white brought in two more runs thanks to the Ensley sisters. Tori Ensley reached first base on a fielding error that allowed Goodwin to reach home plate while Taylor Ensley got on base with a fielder’s choice that brought Goins home.

NC State couldn’t find any success in the batter’s box for the rest of the game, but the damage had already been done. With a four-run lead, Inscoe commanded the rest of the game for the Pack, allowing just one hit and one walk while recording three strikeouts through the final four innings.

After 11 games, NC State finally comes home to Raleigh to host the Marucci Classic in front of the Wolfpack faithful, kicking off with a double header against Illinois and Northern Colorado on Friday. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.