The NC State softball team had a furious offensive outing yesterday, topping in-state rival East Carolina 6-1 in Greenville, North Carolina.
The two teams were set to have a two-game series but the second game of the doubleheader was canceled due to lightning in the area.
The Wolfpack (23-15, 7-5 ACC) started its six-game road trip against the Pirates, looking to keep up its strong play after winning five of its last seven ballgames. The Pirates came into the game on a down note, holding just 11 wins on the season. But with home-field advantage, the ECU team was looking to snag a win against its in-state rival.
“We have been falling into a little bit of a rhythm here,” head coach Shawn Rychcik said. “We have gotten some good pitching and some real timely hitting through this stretch.”
The Pirates struck first in the game, scoring a run in the first inning, but senior pitcher Emily Weiman would shut the door on the Pirates offense from then on. The talented right hander gave up only three hits on the day on her way to notching ten strikeouts.
The bats would show up as well for the Pack, as the team got hot after the second inning. NC State scored two runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to give it a comfortable lead. Senior shortstop Renada Davis went 3-for-4 on the day, and freshman first baseman Meredith Burroughs knocked in two RBI’s to lead State at the plate.
“Renada had three hits for the game and came out swinging the bat really well,” Rychcik said. “Meredith had two [hits] and a couple of really big RBI’s for us that kind of broke things open.”
Despite the Pirates being an in-state school the Pack didn’t seem to be too focused on the rivalry talk. The team looked instead to continue playing good ball and enter into the bulk of its conference schedule with a strong record, according to Rychcik.
“We kind of just concentrate on ourselves every day,” Rychcik said. “We always worry about taking care of what we have to take care of, worry about ourselves and what we need to do to be successful. We are the bigger school, and they want to knock us down and prove to us that they belong, where I think we spend more time trying to make sure we execute what we are supposed to do.”
NC State will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies as it continues its six-game road trip. The Pack hopes its offensive production will remain hot with a difficult stretch of ACC play still to come.
