Danny Boemermann
N.C. State (39-16, 13-5 ACC) completed a weekend series sweep Saturday and Sunday over rival No.-22 North Carolina at Walnut Creek Softball Park, winning all three games 3-0, 5-0 and 2-0, respectively.
While the Wolfpack brought its school-record 12-game winning streak into the series, the Tar Heels came into the match-up with a record of 34-4 in their last 38 games, which included a 28-game win streak earlier this season.
However, coming into the series, the Pack had now won the previous six games against Carolina (41-15, 10-7 ACC).
All of these numbers added up to an important factor: The Pack’s confidence.
“I knew we were going to win; we just had to play our ball,” junior Shanna Smith said. “We’ve been playing great defense and offensively. We’ve been putting the ball in play and making things happen.”
The team, though, tight-roped the fine line between cockiness and confidence perfectly. “[Carolina] really [is] a very good program,” coach Lisa Navas said. “They hit the ball well, so we knew it was going to be a battle. We knew the team that made the most mistakes is going to lose.”
State has now won nine straight games against Carolina and holds an 11-2 record all-time against the Heels. State has also held opponents scoreless for its last six games and has won 17 of its last 20 games.
The series finale on Sunday was a scoreless pitcher’s dual through three and a half innings when Smith stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
Carolina’s pitcher retired Smith in her first at-bat with a change up, and Smith said she wasn’t going to let a change-up beat her in her second trip to the plate.
Smith again saw a change-up, but this time, smacked her eighth home run of the season over the center-field wall.
“I wasn’t going to let her do that again,” she said. “I just sat back and hit it. It felt really good.”
The defenses dominated again until the bottom of the sixth when senior Miranda Ervin doubled home senior Beth Poore, pinch running for Sims. That insurance run proved to be unnecessary as the Pack closed the game down in the top of the seventh in three batters.
After an inning-opening single by UNC, senior pitcher Abbie Sims struck out a batter and then induced a double play on a line drive hit back to her to end the game.
“That was a very emotional double play,” Sims said. “I just wanted to finish [the game] and letting that girl on base ticked me off so I was glad to get her out.”
Sunday was also Senior Day, where the nine seniors on the team were recognized. The class was introduced before the game, and Navas said she was very thankful for the first class in the softball team’s history to go through four years.
“[Losing the seniors] is going to be tough,” Navas said. “I love these kids. They took a chance on me; all I was trying to do was give them a dream of what we were going to accomplish. Other people were turning me down, and they wanted to build something special. They are hard kids to replace but we have a good group of kids coming back.”
Seniors Shaina Ervin (13-10) and Sims (24-5) both threw complete games during Saturday’s twin bill. The Heels could only connect for nine hits off of the duo in three games, and Ervin nearly threw a no-hitter during Saturday’s second game, letting up only one hit.
Navas said both pitchers were, “phenomenal.”
“[Carolina] wasn’t hitting it solid. They were hitting it off the end, and we got it done,” she said.
Sims, however, said shutting down such a dangerous team was possible thanks to the defense behind her more than her own pitching efforts.
“[Carolina] put the ball in play; we knew that was something they were going to do,” she said. “Our defense just shut them down. They didn’t let anything get through, and some balls that could have gotten through, they stopped. I give [credit for] all three games to the defense.”
The Pack travels for another ACC showdown next weekend against Maryland and then down to Tallahassee, Fla., on May 10 to defend its ACC crown at the ACC Championship tournament.