NC State softball’s impressive win streak finally ended in a doubleheader versus Clemson. The Wolfpack upset the No. 8 Tigers on the road for its 13th-straight win and first ranked road win since 2021 in a 6-1 victory before being shut out by Clemson 8-0 in the second leg of its doubleheader in South Carolina. 

The red-and-white (14-4) paired stifling defense with a pivotal six-run second inning in game one to extend its win streak. However, both its offensive and defensive progress was stopped by Clemson (12-4) in round two of the doubleheader with the Wolfpack unable to put up a single run in five innings of play.

Game 1

While the Wolfpack started off its road trip to Clemson giving up one run in the first frame, NC State hunkered down with the help of redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann. After replacing sophomore right-handed pitcher Madison Inscoe once she gave up three first-inning hits, Weixlmann dealt in her six innings in the circle. The redshirt senior flamed five strikeouts while only giving up four hits and no runs. 

After Inscoe gave up the Pack’s one run in the first, the Wolfpack put on a monstrous six-run second inning where it scored its only runs of the entire day. However, those six runs were more than enough to down the Tigers.

Early in the frame, the Wolfpack went station to station to get on the board. It used walks and singles to score its first run while freshman left fielder Tori Ensley hit a go-ahead RBI-single to take the lead at 2-1. 

Two more RBI-singles courtesy of sophomore shortstop MaKayla Marbury and sophomore catcher Amanda Hasler kept the bases juiced while increasing the Wolfpack’s lead to 4-1. To finish the dominant inning off, junior right fielder Taylor Ensley shot a two-run single into left field, bringing the lead to 6-1. 

In just one inning NC State took a sizable lead and never looked back. While its offense failed to put up any more runs, Weixlmann repeatedly frustrated the Tigers at each and every turn. She sat down batter after batter, shutting out the Tigers for the remainder of the first leg of the doubleheader. 

Even though both teams put up an equal seven hits, Weixlmann and the Wolfpack’s defense were the difference makers early in the day. 

Game 2

While dominant in its first game, NC State had an opposite experience in the second leg of the day’s doubleheader. The Tigers got a grip, shutting out the red-and-white while scoring two or more runs in three frames of a five-inning game. 

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Rylee Wyman struggled through her three innings of work, giving up eight hits, seven runs and five earned runs that put NC State in a daunting hole early on. While freshman right-handed pitcher Carly Maxton fared slightly better in her one inning, Clemson’s bats woke up and preyed on the Pack’s pitching. 

The Tigers put up three runs in the first, using a series of singles to get on the board. NC State put on its only scoreless inning defensively in the second with Clemson scoring another two in the third and three in the fourth. 

By the end of five innings, the Wolfpack only had one hit, with no hope of engineering a comeback. Despite the lopsided loss in the second bout, NC State’s early 6-1 upset over the Tigers was an impressive accomplishment. 

The Wolfpack is set to play Clemson Sunday, March 3, at noon to decide the winner of the three-game series.