After a five-game losing streak, NC State softball recovered in dominant fashion with an 11-0 five-inning walloping of George Mason.
The Wolfpack (15-8) kept its foot on the gas throughout the game, determined to return to the win column. The Patriots (7-16) didn’t find any offensive footing due to impressive pitching and fielding from the red-and-white.
NC State heated up early, taking a 1-0 lead at the end of the first inning. Sophomore Rylee Wyman stood in the pitching circle for the Wolfpack. After walking the first batter on a 3-0 count, she forced three-straight outs on the following at-bats, holding the Patriots scoreless. At the bottom of the first, redshirt sophomore Michele Tarpey singled up the middle to bring home the runner on second base, notching the first run for the Wolfpack.
The second inning held more of the same. Wyman generated a ground out and a strikeout leading to a double play, continuing to keep the Patriots scoreless. After the first batter was hit by a pitch, sophomore center fielder Ellie Goins sent a rocket down the middle that tallied two more runs to the lead, making it a 3-0 ball game.
Down 3-0, George Mason showed some fight in the top of the third inning. Though managing to get runners on second and third base, the Patriots didn’t capitalize on the opportunity, instead recording two more outs to nix their chances at scoring.
The Wolfpack began the bottom of the third hot when sophomore shortstop Makayla Marbury homered to left field on a full count. Tarpey then reached third base on an error and was brought home by a wild pitch. In just her second at-bat of the day, Goins homered again, this time to left field. The three runs brought the score to 6-0 at the end of the third inning.
By the fourth inning, the Patriots had lost any potential momentum from the previous inning, recording three groundouts en route to another scoreless frame. The Wolfpack carried the momentum into the fourth inning, starting with an RBI single from junior right fielder Taylor Ensley. With runners on second and third base, Tarpey doubled to left field, bringing home both runners. After the red-and-white scored on yet another wild pitch, Goins was walked in her third at-bat, which was also deemed a passed ball that allowed one more Wolfpack runner to score.
By the end of the fourth, the Pack’s lead was pushed to double digits with a score of 11-0, putting George Mason in danger of being mercy-ruled. In the fifth inning, the Patriots ran out of steam. After failing to score for the fifth-straight frame, the game was deemed over due to a run-rule.
NC State will continue its break from ACC play, traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, for the Garnet and Black Invitational. The first game is against Northwestern on Friday, March 15. The first pitch is set for 10 a.m.
