The NC State softball team completed the sweep of Virginia with a 9-1 win Sunday, as the game was called at the fifth inning because of the run rule.
The victory brings the Wolfpack to 11-16 (5-1 ACC) while the Cavaliers drop to 10-16 (2-7 ACC). This was the team’s first sweep at home in two years, with the last one coming March 7-8, 2015 against Notre Dame. Head coach Shawn Rychcik praised his team in accomplishing that feat.
“I didn’t realize it, but it’s been a few years since we had a sweep,” Rychcik said. “The team did a great job of not looking ahead and taking it one day at a time and one game at a time.”
The scoring came early for the Pack as it took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame of the game. Their offense was very methodical as none of the three runs were scored from extra base hits. State notched five singles in the first, matching UVa’s production for the entire game. Senior leadoff hitter and team captain Tyler Ross started State’s offense with a single. She eventually scored off of a single from fellow senior Molly Hutchinson.
The second inning was the most promising for Virginia as it scored a run while surrendering just two hits and no runs to make it a 3-1 game at the end of this stanza. However, the third inning saw an offensive explosion from State hitters. The scoring in this inning was kicked off when sophomore Cheyenne Balzer knocked one just barely over the fence for a two-run home run. One out and two base hits later, Ross continued her good day with a three-run shot that cleared the barn behind the field. By the end of the third, the Pack expanded its lead to a dominant 8-1.
The fourth was a quiet inning, but in the fifth, the Wolfpack continued its sharp hitting as there were runners on first and second base when freshman Jade Caraway ended the game on a single, scoring and sending Macauley Prickett to home.
Starting pitcher Peyton Silverman pitched a complete game and displayed great command of her pitches all day. She only allowed one run, five hits and walked three batters. Her arm and the fielding of the Pack made it virtually impossible for Cavaliers to score.
“Peyton pitching the way she did today was huge for us,” Rychcik said. “Her and the way our defense played allowed our bats to really get hot.”
State will be traveling to Spartanburg, South Carolina to take on the South Carolina-Upstate Spartans in a doubleheader Wednesday starting at 4 p.m.
Tyler Ross grabs a ball in the outfield during the game against the University of Virginia in Dail Stadium on Friday, Mar. 17, 2017. Ross has made 34 catches in the outfield this season.
