Despite the general opinion on NC State softball, the Wolfpack is sitting pretty in the ACC nearing the end of the season. However, following a three-game win streak, the Pack was swept by Notre Dame this weekend. NC State dropped all three games against the Irish, 4-3, 5-0 and 5-2 in Dail Softball Stadium.
On Friday’s first matchup, the Pack (15-28, 8-7 ACC) held its own in a tightly contested game backed by the power hitting of senior outfielder Tyler Ross.
The Irish (26-15, 11-7 ACC) got on the board early in the top of the first off an RBI-double from designated player Caitlyn Brooks, sending outfielder Ali Wester home, but State would answer quickly.
In the bottom of the inning, Ross fired back with a solo homerun down the right field line to tie it up, 1-1. Despite a down year in her final year as a member of the Pack, she put the team on her back in the first tilt.
Ross put the Wolfpack out in front 3-1 in the third frame with a two-run homer into center field, bringing in junior outfielder Macauley Prickett to the plate. The two-run blast was her eighth of the season and 32nd RBI, good for second and first on the team, respectively.
Ross’ huge outing, 2 for 3, two homeruns and three RBIs, wasn’t enough at the end of the day. In the top of the seventh, Irish shortstop Morgan Reed came in clutch for Notre Dame. Reed rocketed freshman Peyton Silverman’s pitch to center field for a three-run homerun, securing the win for Notre Dame, 4-3.
The heartbreaker served as a dark cloud over the rest of the series. Later on Friday, NC State couldn’t stop the Irish at the plate, surrendering 13 hits in a 5-0 shutout.
Reed came up big for the Irish once again, notching two hits and three RBIs on the evening, including a two-run homer in the seventh.
The Pack was not able to react like it did in the earlier contest, a problem head coach Shawn Rychcik has observed before. Though junior infielder Alyssa Compton recorded two hits, neither Ross nor freshman Jade Caraway, the team leader in batting average at .375, was able to tally a hit.
In the final contest of the series, the Pack’s bats revived, amassing eight hits, yet it wasn’t enough to steal a win as the Irish completed the sweep, 5-2.
In the first frame, Reed homered yet again, this time on sophomore pitcher Brittany Nimmo. Reed rocketed a two-run homer to left center, putting Notre Dame out in front, 2-0.
NC State tied it up 2-2 in the second thanks to an RBI-single from Ross down the right field line, scoring Prickett and senior outfielder Molly Martin.
Nimmo (4-11) pitched well in her appearance, surrendering just four hits to Notre Dame, but the Irish capitalized on a Wolfpack error in the third inning.
Brooks reached on an error by freshman infielder Haley Finn, which allowed Wester to reach home, making it 3-2 Irish.
Nimmo couldn’t catch a break in the fifth either as Brooks singled to center, advancing Reed to third and Wester to home again. Later in the inning, Irish third baseman Melissa Rochford flied out to shortstop, but Reed would score and beat the throw to home.
Down 5-2, the Pack needed a spark at the plate but it failed to do so. NC State notched three hits after the fifth inning, but failed to execute, leaving a runner on base in each inning.
NC State’s losing overall record can be deceiving after a brutal nonconference schedule. The Wolfpack currently finds itself tied for fifth place in the ACC standings. If the Pack can take care of business against Pittsburgh and Boston College, NC State could secure a spot in the ACC tournament.
The Pack is back in action Wednesday in Dail Softball Stadium as UNC-Wilmington comes to town for a mid-week game. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
