NC State softball was shut out by the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs before suffering a beatdown at the hands of the LSU Tigers on Friday, March 31. The Pack let up 14 runs total and scored zero over the course of its doubleheader.
In game one, the Wolfpack (12-22) managed to hold the Bulldogs (21-13) scoreless for the first five innings of play. Freshman right-handed pitcher Madison Inscoe played a major role in the red-and-white’s defensive efforts, pitching the entire game and retiring the first three batters she faced to start the game off strong.
Offensively, the Pack recorded just four hits to Louisiana Tech’s nine, and in four of the seven innings, the team was unable to get on base. NC State got into scoring position just one time over the course of the game, when a single from graduate center fielder Rebecca Murray sent freshman pinch runner Gabi Wilson to second base in the bottom of the sixth inning. However, the Bulldogs shut down any hopes of scoring when they made a double play on the next at-bat, sending the Pack back to the drawing board.
Louisiana Tech scored its two runs late in the game, tallying one run each in the sixth and seventh innings.
Against No. 14 LSU (29-6), the Wolfpack faced an even greater challenge. Ultimately, the red-and-white failed to rise to the occasion, falling to the Tigers in five innings. NC State managed to keep LSU somewhat contained in the first three innings, but a monster eight-run effort in the bottom of the fourth put the Pack away for good.
Unlike the previous game, the red-and-white sent a variety of pitchers to the mound, but none of them could quell LSU’s red-hot bats. Freshman right-hander Rylee Wyman began the day on the mound and was credited with the loss, pitching for one inning and letting up four runs.
Redshirt junior right-hander Aisha Weixlmann stepped in to pitch in the bottom of the second, allowing no runs and just one hit in the second and third innings combined. However, Weixlmann failed to carry this strong defensive effort into the fourth inning, allowing four runs before freshman right-handed pitcher Brooklyn Lucero came in for her relief.
From there, it was a bloodbath. The Tigers tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth and squashed any hopes of an NC State comeback thereafter. Throughout the game, the Wolfpack struggled to perform offensively, totalling just four hits on 18 at-bats.
The Pack’s next challenge will come on Saturday, April 1, when the team takes on the BYU Cougars at 12 p.m.
