NC State softball competed in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Dail Stadium from Feb. 17-19. Iowa and Purdue made the trip down to Raleigh, and the Pack won a game and lost a game against each of its Big Ten opponents.
The Wolfpack (2-7) entered the weekend coming off a disappointing performance in the Candrea Classic, losing to the likes of Kansas, Long Beach State and Arizona. With the home crowd in the stands, the Pack picked up its first two wins of the 2023 season.
On Friday, the first pitch against Iowa (6-3) was delayed multiple times due to inclement weather. Once the first pitch was finally thrown, the result was just as disappointing as the rainy day. The Pack lost its home opener 11-2 after the Hawkeyes piled in eight runs in the fourth inning. Graduate left fielder Katlyn Pavlick and freshman shortstop MaKayla Marbury both recorded multiple hits, while graduate center fielder Rebecca Murray and freshman first baseman Madison Inscoe each batted in a run, but neither Murray or Inscoe recorded a hit.
On Saturday, the team played a doubleheader against two solid Big Ten opponents. After a spirit-crushing loss the night before, NC State finally got in the win column. The Pack defeated Iowa 3-1 in the first game of the day backed by a stellar performance from Inscoe, who was back as the Pack’s starting pitcher. While knocking in two of the team’s three runs, Inscoe was also credited with the win on the mound. Pavlick homered in the first inning to give the Pack a necessary spark to pull the weekend’s first win out.
The long day of softball concluded with the Pack getting its first look at the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue handled business in Dail Stadium, defeating the Wolfpack 4-0. The Pack simply couldn’t get it going in the second game of the doubleheader, as junior second baseman Kaylee Lambrecht’s third-inning double would conclude the offense from the NC State team. The Pack finished day two of the homestand 1-1.
On Sunday, the Pack defeated the Boilermakers 4-3 in the most competitive game of the weekend. The game was tied up heading into the top of the sixth inning before NC State exploded for three runs, and the team would need every one of those runs as Purdue hung two of its own in the bottom of the seventh inning. Inscoe filled up the box score once again with a sixth-inning home run and also recorded her second win of the season on the mound.
NC State softball will try to carry this momentum into Wednesday as it take on Elon. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
