Over the past seven games, NC State softball has been on a tear, taking down opponents left and right. Sunday, Feb. 18, was no different for the red-and-white with the team defeating both of its visitors with ease.
The first game of the day came against Elon (4-5) in which the Pack took over in both the pitching circle and the batter’s box, winning with a 7-3 showing. Right after defeating the Phoenix, NC State (8-3) played Campbell (1-8) and finished the afternoon with a 5-2 victory. With the wins, the Pack finished undefeated throughout the Marucci Classic.
“I think winning two games is not easy, and I think winning on Sunday is not easy,” said head coach Lindsay Leftwich. “So I’m really proud of their fight and their grit and just their ability to work through some long games. Six games in a weekend is really rough.”
Game one
The Pack started strong against Elon with a dominant first appearance at the plate. NC State grabbed a quick lead with two homers that brought in three runs. Sophomore catcher Amanda Hasler launched a rocket over center field, allowing both senior second baseman Kaylee Lambrecht and herself to tally runs. Just a few moments later, sophomore shortstop MaKayla Marbury scored her own homerun to extend the Wolfpack’s lead.
“It feels great,” Hasler said. “Me and Coach Lindsay have been working on a lot of things with my swing, so it’s great to see it all play out on the field.”
Redshirt senior right handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann started in the circle for the Pack, pitching an impressive 4.1 innings. With back-to-back perfect innings, Weixlmann kept NC State in the driver’s seat.
“She’s a fighter, you know,” Leftwich said. “I think it’s awesome because they never know who they’re gonna get like from a pitcher sometimes, but from that kid, you’re always sure that she’s gonna walk out there and she will catch a ball with her teeth to win. I think you want somebody that’s going to fight like that for you in the circle.”
The third inning saw more offensive power from the Pack as two more runs extended the team’s lead to 5-0. Two singles up the middle, from redshirt sophomore designated hitter Michele Tarpey and freshman left fielder Tori Ensley, helped bring home the crucial runs.
Elon eventually got on the board during the fourth inning, with a three-run homer to cut the lead to 5-3. NC State responded in the bottom of the fourth with Hasler’s second home run of the day and an RBI from Marbury to bring the score to 7-3.
Weixlmann was pulled at the top of the fourth inning. Setting a new season high with eight, the pitcher finished with the most strikeouts of all the Pack pitchers throughout the matchup. Next up in the circle was sophomore right handed pitcher Rylee Wyman, who saw only 1.2 innings of play and allowed two hits and one run.
Both teams were scoreless throughout the fifth inning, but that changed in the sixth. Elon tallied one more run at the top of the inning but could not catch up to NC State. The Wolfpack scored a run at the bottom of the sixth — an RBI from Marbury — to bring the final score to 8-4.
“I think they’re excited about that challenge that they don’t just want to meet the status quo,” Leftwich said. “They want to pass the standard all the time. So I think that they’re excited about the challenge of it, and they want to get better in those places.”
Game two
The Camels started quick against NC State, scoring a run in the top of the first. The point came on a fielding error by junior first baseman Alaina Smith, and Hasler was unable to tag the runner at home plate. The Wolfpack tied it up in its first appearance at the plate with a RBI from sophomore center fielder Ellie Goins.
Sophomore right handed pitcher Madison Inscoe earned the start against Campbell. She pitched four innings and recorded four strikeouts. Through 61 total pitches, Inscoe only allowed two hits and one run. The red-and-white took the lead at the bottom of the second inning when Enlsey scored on a fielder’s choice hit from junior third baseman Hannah Goodwin.
“I love having to catch and, you know, deal with all their personalities,” Hasler said. “That’s one of my favorite parts of my job. And you know, learning how to communicate with them, it’s just so awesome, and being able to just be behind the play and talk with them through strikeouts or tough times. It’s just an awesome part of my job.”
Inscoe took over in the beginning of the inning, striking out back-to-back-to-back batters to get the three-up, three-down — a feat she repeated at the top of the third inning as well. The fourth inning saw a double play by the NC State outfield and infield to send the Pack back to the plate, but were unsuccessful in breaking a sturdier lead. Campbell got on the scorecard next with a single RBI at the top of the fifth inning, tying the game up 2-2.
That tie didn’t last long though, with the red-and-white absolutely dominating during the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings. A double RBI during the fifth brought the lead back to the Pack and helped extend the lead to 4-2. Hasler’s third home run of the afternoon came in the sixth inning and brought the final score to 5-2.
The Pack will stay in Raleigh for the Wolfpack Classic from Friday, Feb. 23, to Sunday, Feb. 25. NC State will start the series off with a double header against Iona and Albany starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
