NC State softball defeated Winthrop 4-2 at Dail Softball Stadium Tuesday night after having the game rescheduled from earlier this season. NC State closed the game out strong for its third win in a row.
After an hour delay due to weather, the Wolfpack (20-15, 2-7 ACC) started the night off strong against the Eagles (15-17, 4-5 Big South) by shutting them out and allowing no runners on base. In the bottom of the first, the Pack took charge with sophomore infielder Sam Russ who got a hit to left field, quickly getting on first base.
Russ stole second base when teammate sophomore third baseman Logan Morris came up to bat. Russ ran home after Eagles’ first baseman fumbled the ball to give the Pack an early 1-0 lead.
“That’s our focus. We’re trying to score first, we’re trying to keep pressure off us going into the later innings,” head coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift said.
The Eagles determination stayed strong for most of the game as they too had been coming off of a two-game winning streak. The Eagles made themselves heard by taking a run of their own by redshirt junior shortstop Brooke Ellison in the top of the second before the Pack was able to complete its last two outs.
“When you have a winning streak, it definitely gives us a little bit of confidence going into the next coming games,” said freshman pitcher Sydney Nester.
Both teams held each other off from the bottom of the second to the top of the fourth inning. Junior infielder Skylar Johnston and redshirt sophomore first baseman Randi Farricker got on base before junior center field Angie Rizzi bunted the ball to push them ahead to second and third. With two outs, senior second baseman Natalie Jones came up to bat and hit the ball out to left field, allowing Johnston to come in to score.
The fifth inning saw a dominant defense and offense from the Wolfpack. Defensively, the Pack didn’t allow a runner past first base and quickly moved on to the bottom of the inning where the Pack doubled its score. Once again, Russ led the Pack to a strong offensive opening by getting on first base followed by junior right fielder Brigette Nordberg who got a hit to center.
Challenging the Eagle’s defense, Russ and Nordberg each stole a base, applying pressure on the Eagles pitcher as the Pack had no outs and a runner on second and third.
Morris flew out but Russ took the opportunity to take home, pushing the Pack up 3-1 against the Eagles.
“We needed to come out and get a win. In midweek games it’s just important to come out,” Patrick-Swift said. “But we were coming to work on some things and I thought we did a good job coming out and getting a win; setting a long week of games up.”
With two outs and Nordberg still at second base in the bottom of the fifth, Farricker hit a double to bring Nordberg home for the Pack’s fourth run. The Pack managed to load the bases before Jones struck out to end the Pack’s offense for the night.
The Eagles were strong in the top of the seventh with two runners on second and third but with two outs. The Pack gave up one more run to second baseman Blake Wallert before striking out the Eagle’s pinch-hitter Keleigh Romine to end the game.
“I think that my team has my back and I’m going to spin my pitches and whatever happens is going to happen,” Nester said. “I have trust in my teammates and my pitches. I don’t get very rattled.”
The Wolfpack will be at-bat again against UNC-Greensboro Wednesday at 5 p.m. on the road.
