NC State softball continues to dominate on the diamond, taking down ECU 11-2 in five innings in Greenville, North Carolina for its 12th-straight win.
The Pack (13-3) came into the matchup with momentum leftover from a 4-0 weekend throughout the Wolfpack Classic from Friday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 25. ECU (16-2) was also looking to keep its momentum in check and push its win streak to seven, but the red-and-white lit up the batter’s box and left the Pirates in the dust.
Starting in the circle for the Wolfpack was sophomore right handed pitcher Madison Inscoe and she earned her third win of the season. Pitching for all five innings, Inscoe only allowed three hits and two runs off of 89 pitches. The Pirates cycled through four different pitchers throughout the game, with each one allowing multiple hits.
The first inning saw strong defense from both teams, with both frames only taking four at-bats to round out all the outs. In the top of the second, the Pack got on the scorecard and they did so with flair. With sophomore center fielder Ellie Goins on third and senior second baseman Kaylee Lambrecht on second — courtesy of a rocket double — freshman left fielder Tori Ensley stepped up the plate. Launching the ball with her swing, she was able to reach third base and send both runners home, putting the Pack up 2-0.
Inscoe closed out the second inning with two strikeouts and quickly sent the red-and-white back on the offensive. Sophomore catcher Amanda Hasler started off for the Wolfpack and immediately kept the momentum going with a home run to right field, putting the Pack up 3-0. A pitching change came for the Pirates, but that didn’t slow NC State down. The Pack ultimately scored four more runs throughout the top of the inning.
Junior right fielder Taylor Ensley scored the second run in the inning after reaching second on a double and then brought home on an RBI double from redshirt sophomore first baseman Michelle Tarpey. Lambrecht would get another double this inning and sent home two more runs for the Pack, and she was brought home soon after on another RBI. Now up 7-0, there was no stopping the red-and-white.
A quick three-up, three-down from ECU put the Wolfpack back in the batter’s box and set the team up to gain more runs. They did just that and brought in two more runs to make it 9-0. Junior third baseman Hannah Goodwin tallied the Pack’s second home run of the night and brought herself and sophomore pinch runner Gabi Wilson back to home plate.
Once again ECU finished out the inning with no runs, bringing in the fifth — and eventually final — inning. Hasler quickly walked at the top of the inning and would reach home plate off of a rocket double from Taylor Ensley, who would also tally a run herself a few plays later. By the end of the Pack’s time in the batter’s box the team scored 11 runs off of 11 hits.
The Pirates finally got on the scorecard late in the fifth inning, but were not able to stop the mercy rule from coming into effect. With just two runs before the third out, the game ended in a 11-2 victory for the Wolfpack, snapping ECU’s win streak. NC State will start ACC play later in the week as it travels to Clemson, South Carolina to take on the Tigers. Play starts on Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m.
