After falling in its series against Syracuse, NC State softball will take the field on Wednesday in a non-conference matchup with East Carolina. The Pirates (19-20, 1-8 AAC) are on a nine-game losing streak while the Wolfpack (21-18, 3-9 ACC) have only won one of their last four contests.

NC State has struggled to put runs on the board, averaging only 4.1 runs per game, good for eighth-best of twelve teams in the ACC. The Wolfpack only bat .240, second-worst in the ACC. NC State’s offense has largely been a three-headed monster comprised of junior utility player Brigette Nordberg, sophomore outfielder Sam Russ, and sophomore infielder Logan Morris. Nordberg and Russ are the only players on the team with an OPS higher than 1, and they lead the Wolfpack with a combined 19 home runs.

Pitching has been a bright spot for NC State, as the Wolfpack’s team ERA of 2.92 ranks in the top half of its conference, led by freshman right-hander Sydney Nester, who is 11-4 on the year with a 2.51 ERA. Her teammate, junior left-handed pitcher Devin Wallace is 9-11 this year but has only allowed a batting average of .200 thus far.

ECU’s pitching leaves much to be desired. The Pirates give up 3.73 earned runs per game, worst in their conference. The Pirates’ ace is Erin Poepping, who is 12-13 on the year with a 2.83 ERA and nine home runs given up. NC State’s three-headed monster may give Poepping more trouble than she can handle.

At the plate, ECU ranks third in the eight-team American Athletic Conference with 4.6 runs a game despite a .274 batting average. The Pirates struggle to hit home runs, with 22 on the year to NC State’s 44. The lack of power on ECU’s side may prove to be its undoing on Wednesday. NC State should be able to get back on track against the Pirates before returning to conference play in South Bend against Notre Dame.

First pitch is at 5 p.m. at Dail Softball Stadium, the game will also be televised via the ACC Network Extra.