Instead of being boosted to wins by an offensive outpouring, N.C. State used a sound formula for winning — mixing solid pitching with opportunistic hitting.
In the first game of the series, junior pitcher Shaina Ervin led the way in a 2-0 victory. Ervin threw a complete-game shutout, allowing only one hit, while striking out nine and walking two.
Despite her dominant performance, giving her a 9-2 record, Ervin said she is still looking for improvement.
“I can always get better. There’s no place to be satisfied, no time to be satisfied,” Ervin said. “So, I need to work on consistency and location with my pitches. And take it and build on it from there.”
Head coach Lisa Navas said she was pleased with Ervin’s performance.
“She did a great job. She kept them off balance,” Navas said. “She’s got a tough pitch to hit. [Kent State] couldn’t get down there to hit.”
In a game that lasted only one hour and 53 minutes, runs were at a premium. While Ervin shut down the Golden Flashes, Kent State starting pitcher Brittney Robinson was making life at the plate difficult for the Pack. Robinson allowed only four hits, but State found ways to get runs across the plate.
The Pack scored the only run they would need in the third inning. State took advantage of a lead-off walk to sophomore Lisa Nentwig. One out later, junior Heather Gelbard drove a double to left centerfield to allow Nentwig to score.
The score stood at 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning, when sophomore Ashleigh Davis led off and lined a solo shot over the centerfield fence. The homerun marked the second time Davis had gone deep at State.
Davis said she was happy just to make to contact with the ball.
“I had struck out seven times before I came up to bat,” Davis said. “I think it was just frustration. I finally saw a good pitch and it felt good. It felt good to make solid contact. It going over the fence was just a plus. It’s just a fun feeling. I’m still getting used to it. Hopefully, I have many more to come.”
In the second game of the day, the Pack produced more offense than in the first, but were led by strong pitching from junior Abbie Sims.
Sims struggled with her control at times, walking six batters in the 5-1 State victory. However, she pitched herself out of several jams by striking out 13 batters. Sims allowed only five hits, with three of those hits coming in the sixth inning, the inning she conceded her only run of the game.
Sims said she felt good about how she pitched in tough situations.
“I had a hard time finding the umpire’s strike zone,” she said. “So I kind of had to bear down when I got runners on. I mean I didn’t have another choice. I thought I threw too many balls, but like I said the umpire and I didn’t see eye to eye.”
“Putting people on base — that’s my fault,” Sims said, and added that her strength is that she can put herself “in a situation to strike people out to get out of the situation.”
The Pack got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Gelbard singled up the middle to start the inning and scored on a wild pitch, after a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Shanna Smith and a ground out by Jen Chamberlin moved her to third.
In the fourth inning, senior Caroline Blount, who was pinch-running for Sims, scored the game-winning run when senior Tess Corona hit into an RBI fielder’s choice.
State carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth, before having an offensive breakout that netted three runs. Smith led off the inning with a single. After junior Jennifer Patterson walked, the Pack had runs at first and second with one out. Sims helped her cause by hitting an RBI single that brought in Smith from second. Patterson later came in to score. Sims scored when Davis singled for her second RBI of the day.
“They played well. We did what we needed to. We stayed battling,” Navas said. “We were focused on every pitch. We did a good job. They had some good pitchers. It was tough to hit the inside pitch, but we got it done.”
