The NC State softball team completed the second half of its first road trip of the season in South Bend, Indiana this weekend to take on Notre Dame. Notre Dame was one step ahead of the Wolfpack for the entirety of the series, completing the sweep by scores of 6-5, 8-0 and 7-6, respectively.
Friday
Despite opening the scoring in the top of the first, the Pack (14-11, 10-11 ACC) trailed the Fighting Irish (16-8, 9-6 ACC) for most of the first game. With redshirt senior right fielder Tatyana Forbes on second base with one out, redshirt junior infielder Logan Morris reached second herself on an error in center field that allowed Forbes to score.
Notre Dame was quick to tie it up in the bottom of the first. Freshman left-handed pitcher Estelle Czech gave up a leadoff double to Notre Dame center fielder Abby Sweet, who reached on a single to tie the game at one.
After the Wolfpack went down in order in the second, Czech again gave up a leadoff extra-base hit in the form of a triple. That signaled the end of her day as Czech surrendered three hits and one earned run, and redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Sydney Nester entered in relief.
Nester struck out her first two batters before an error by redshirt junior shortstop Randi Farricker allowed the Fighting Irish take a 2-1 lead. Notre Dame threatened to extend that lead by promptly loading the bases, but Nester was able to escape the jam.
Both squads failed to score in the third, but redshirt junior catcher Sam Sack led off the fourth with a solo homer to tie it up at two runs apiece. The Fighting Irish responded quickly by stringing some more hits together to retake the lead at 4-2 before the fourth inning was over.
The Pack chipped away at Notre Dame’s lead by scoring one run in the fifth, but the Irish notched another two-run inning in the bottom half of the inning. Farricker tried to make for her earlier error by clocking a two-run dinger to right center, bringing State within one at 6-5. It would not be enough however, as the Pack went down in order in the seventh to seal the loss.
Saturday doubleheader
Notre Dame shut down the Wolfpack in an 8-0 rout in the first game of the doubleheader. The Irish opened the scoring in the bottom of the second by crossing home plate thrice on five hits. After a quiet third inning, Notre Dame scored a pair of runs on two hits and an error to put NC State down 5-0 in the fourth. The Fighting Irish retired the side in the top of the fifth before finishing off the game in the bottom of the frame by mercy rule.
The NC State offense managed only three hits and no walks in the first half of the doubleheader. The Wolfpack’s eight groundouts to three flyouts were indicative of its struggles to hit the ball in the air throughout the game.
The back end of the doubleheader was a mixture of the first two games of the series. NC State’s comeback bid came up short after a six-run fourth inning by the Irish. Sack opened the scoring with a two-run jack to right field, and Notre Dame could not grab the lead like it had for most of the series until the middle of the fourth, mustering only one run through the first three.
Nester and Fighting Irish right-handed pitcher Payton Tidd traded goose eggs in the second and third innings, but Nester unraveled in the fourth to the tune of six earned runs. Nester remained in the ballgame, however, and recovered by only allowing one baserunner in the fifth and sixth combined.
The Pack put up back-to-back two-run innings in the sixth and seventh, thanks to two-run homers by redshirt junior left fielder Sam Russ in the former and by redshirt sophomore April Visser in the latter. It was too little too late for NC State, however, as it fell 7-6.
Sunday
The series finale was canceled due to inclement weather and will not be replayed. This finalized the series sweep by the Fighting Irish over the Wolfpack.
NC State returns home for a series against the North Carolina A&T Aggies, featuring a doubleheader on Friday, April 2 and a third game on Saturday, April 3. Friday’s doubleheader will start at noon, and all games in the series will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
