This past weekend, the NC State softball team dropped three games against No. 19 Tennessee on the road in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Wolfpack (12-24, 6-3 ACC) could not stop the Lady Volunteers (31-5, 6-3 SEC) as the Pack lost, 8-3, 16-2 and 6-1, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The Pack tried to keep it close in the third game of the series, but Tennessee would become victorious once again.
The Vols began play Sunday with scoring an early run in the first inning. The first three batters for the Vols were able to get on base and junior infielder Meghan Gregg was able to bring in the first run with a single into center field.
NC State answered in the second inning as sophomore Natalie Jones who entered the game to pinch run, scored on a passed ball to even up the score, 1-1, at the end of the second inning. That was all that happened for the Wolfpack’s offense in this game.
Tennessee put up two more runs in the fourth and two runs in the fifth to seal the deal and take the win, 6-1. Freshman pitcher Peyton Silverman received the loss for that game, which gives her an 8-13 record on the season. Silverman gave up nine hits but tallied a strikeout.
For the first game in the series, Tennessee came out swinging the bats in the first inning, as it loaded the bases after back-to-back singles and a walk. Senior outfielder Megan Geer stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam to give the Vols a 4-0 lead.
NC State put up two runs on the board in the third inning as freshman Jade Caraway drew an RBI walk and senior second baseman Molly Martin scored after on a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the third, the Vols fought back and increased their lead. Gregg smashed a two-run homer and junior utility player Scarlet McSwain hit a solo home run to give the Vols a 7-2 lead at the end of the third.
The Wolfpack strung together a couple of hits in the top of the fifth to reduce Tennessee’s lead. Senior left-fielder Tyler Ross hit an RBI-double to center field that scored Martin to edge the gap, 7-3.
Once again, Tennessee responded by tallying another run in the bottom of the fifth, which was the last run of the game that gave the Lady Volunteers an 8-3 win. Silverman received the loss in the game, as she pitched five of the six innings and tallied two strikeouts.
The second game on Saturday was very tough for the Wolfpack, as it lost 16-2 and was run-ruled in the fifth inning. The Pack gave up 11 hits and committed three errors in the game.
Sophomore pitcher Brittany Nimmo and junior pitcher Harli Hubbard could not find their groove in the circle during the game. Nimmo started the game, pitched two innings and gave up seven runs on seven hits with two walks. Hubbard did not fare well either, as she tallied 10 walks and allowed four hits with nine runs.
The Pack looks to bounce back from a difficult weekend on Wednesday as it faces off against UNC-Greensboro at Dail Softball Stadium at 5 p.m.
