The NC State softball team picked up a pair of wins on Wednesday, April 21, as it demolished the Furman Paladins by a combined score of 17-0 in just 11 total innings in its doubleheader sweep.
Game 1
The first game saw the Wolfpack (24-13) beat Furman (15-22) off the back of an offensive explosion in the third inning.
The first, and ultimately game-winning, run was batted in by redshirt sophomore infielder April Visser (1-2, RBI, HR) via a home run to make it a 1-0 game. Another homer followed, courtesy of redshirt junior infielder Logan Morris (1-3, 2 RBI, HR), this time hit with a runner on base to make it a 3-0 advantage for the Wolfpack.
Singles from redshirt senior outfielder Brigette Nordberg (1-2, RBI) and redshirt freshman infielder Libby Whittaker (1-2, 2 RBI) scored runs as well, and by the time the third inning was over, NC State held a six-run cushion.
Freshman lefty Estelle Czech was the starting pitcher for the first game, and while the NC State run production was in high gear, so was its run prevention. In four innings of work, Czech allowed only three hits and a walk while striking out three.
The home run frenzy wasn’t limited to the third inning, however, as more fly balls went over the outfield fence later in the game. Redshirt junior Randi Farricker (2-3, RBI, HR) tore the cover off the ball and then some with a solo shot in the fourth inning, and redshirt senior outfielder Angie Rizzi (1-4, RBI, HR) capped off the scoring for the Wolfpack with a homer of her own in the sixth inning to clinch the 8-0 victory.
Game 2
Redshirt sophomore righty Sydney Nester (5.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K) got the start in the pitcher circle for the second game, and while a walk and a wild pitch threatened to give Furman its first run of the doubleheader, Nester started dealing from there, ending the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
It was more of the same in the second inning, with an infield single ruining what was an otherwise spotless inning from Nester. She showed no signs of slowing down in the third inning, finally getting the 1-2-3 frame that had slipped through her hands in the first and second innings.
After relying on its power in the first game, the Wolfpack used some small ball to get on the board early in the second game. After getting on base with a walk, Rizzi (2-2, 2 RBI, HR) advanced along the basepaths, first on a stolen base and then by way of a fielder’s choice. It paid off, however, when a single by Morris (1-3, RBI) scored Rizzi and made it a 1-0 game for the Wolfpack. Morris advanced to third on a Farricker (3-3, 2 RBI, HR) double, and when redshirt junior catcher Sam Sack (0-1) grounded out, Morris found a way to make it home anyway, doubling NC State’s lead in the first inning.
It looked like the Wolfpack wouldn’t score in the second inning after two quick outs, but after back-to-back singles from Rizzi, who had somehow already made it back to the batter’s box after leading off the first inning, and Visser (1-1), redshirt junior outfielder Sam Russ (1-2, 3 RBI, HR) sent a pitch out of the ballpark for a three-RBI home run to make it a 5-0 game.
The fourth inning saw the first signs of trouble for Nester. Nester first allowed a Furman batter to walk, who then promptly stole second base. Then, another walk and a single loaded for the bases for the Paladins. For a team that hadn’t even sniffed home plate thus far in the doubleheader, an extra base hit for multiple RBIs would have been a gold mine for Furman. With two outs already on the board, however, all it took was Nester’s fifth strikeout of the afternoon to end Furman’s hopes of getting on the scoreboard.
After a lull in the third inning, the NC State bats got back on track. Visser was hit by a pitch, which set up Rizzi, who hit a two-RBI home run past the center field wall. Moments later, Farricker launched another two-RBI bomb that went from Dail Softball Stadium all the way to the field of Dail Soccer Stadium, putting nine runs on the board for the Wolfpack and outdoing the Pack’s offensive output in the first game against Furman.
The game wouldn’t go on much longer than that, as Nester grabbed two more strikeouts to give her a complete game shutout and end the game 9-0.
NC State will be on the road for its next series, which will be against the No. 16 Clemson Tigers. The first game will be on Friday, April 23, in Clemson, South Carolina, with the first pitch set to be thrown at 5 p.m.
