The NC State softball team came up with a big comeback effort Sunday against archrival UNC-Chapel Hill, 8-7, at Anderson Stadium to avoid being swept in the weekend series. The victory came after UNC won the first two games, 6-0 and 12-4, on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The Pack (11-20, 5-3 ACC) trailed for almost the entire game, but fought to stay in it and came through in the late innings against the Tar Heels (26-7, 7-1 ACC). With the Wolfpack trailing 7-6 in the top of the seventh, sophomore Brittany Nimmo, who finished the game 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs, clubbed a two-run homer to left field off Heels reliever Sydney Matzko to seal the come-from-behind win for the Pack and hand UNC its first ACC loss.
Freshman starting pitcher Peyton Silverman threw all seven innings and earned the win for the Pack Sunday, giving up eight hits and five earned runs while striking out four batters on 101 pitches. However, the game did not start well for her, as the Heels got out to a big early lead on a three-run homer from sophomore Berlynne Delamora in the bottom of the first.
UNC extended its first-inning lead to 4-0 on an RBI single to left from junior Katelyn Shifflett. NC State then got on the scoreboard with a solo shot to right center from Nimmo in the top of the second, cutting the deficit to 4-1. However, the Heels wasted little time restoring their four-run edge with an RBI single off the bat of freshman Brittany Pickett in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-1.
The comeback trail for the Wolfpack started in the top of the fifth. Senior Molly Hutchinson drew a bases-loaded walk to score junior Macauley Prickett from third and make it 5-2. Freshman Haylee Kobziak then hit a two-run single to second, bringing the Pack within one at 5-4.
The Heels appeared to deliver a dagger to the Pack’s comeback hopes in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run blast to right-center field from senior Kendra Lynch to give them a 7-4 lead. The Pack, however, answered right back in the top of the sixth, with a two-run single to right from senior Tyler Ross to score senior Molly Martin and freshman Natalie Jones, bringing the Wolfpack back within one at 7-6 and setting up Nimmo’s game-winning dinger in the next inning.
Sunday’s win salvaged a 1-2 record on the weekend for NC State after dropping the first two games in blowout fashion. The Heels took the series-opening game Friday night by a score of 6-0, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first inning, adding a run in the second and two in the fifth to seal the victory. UNC starting pitcher Brittany Pickett threw a gem in Friday’s game, allowing only five hits, no runs and striking out three in seven innings pitched.
The Pack managed to find some offense in Saturday’s game, getting an RBI double and a solo homer from sophomore Cheyenne Balzer. The pitching staff, however, had no answers for the Heels’ bats, as Nimmo, who started the game and recorded the loss, and junior Harli Hubbard allowed a combined 17 hits and 12 earned runs in a six-inning mercy rule.
The Pack will be back in action Wednesday against Liberty University at Dail Softball Stadium at 5 p.m.
