The N.C. State softball team picked up their sixth win of the season on Friday afternoon, taking down Kent State with ease. After three and a half scoreless innings for both teams, the Wolfpack’s offense exploded in the bottom of the fifth innings, putting up eight runs. Some clutch fifth innings pitching closed the game out for the Pack, placing the eight-run rule into effect and handing State the 8-0 victory.
Freshman pitcher Emily Weiman threw the first complete game shutout of her career against the Golden Flashes, lowering her season ERA to an impressive 1.41 and improving her overall record to 4-4. In five innings pitched, Weiman gave up only three hits while striking out seven.
The Pack also had a dynamic game at the plate picking up eight runs on eight hits, five walks, and seven RBI.
Freshman catcher Sara Lippard and sophomore third baseman Scout Albertson headlined the offensive performance for the Wolfpack. Lippard was perfect at the plate on the day, recording hits in all her three plate appearances and tacking on an RBI to go with it.
Albertson cleared the bases for her first career triple, accounting for three more runs for N.C. State. Junior outfielder Bethaney Wells also picked up her first home run of the season on a solo shot to right field to lead off the eighth innings.
Following that innings, Weiman sat down the first three batters in the fifth, giving the Wolfpack the win and improving their record to 6-5 on the season.
“It feels good, but I have to give a lot of credit to my catcher, my coaches who call the game, and my teammates who back me up,” Weiman said on her first collegiate shutout. ”I wouldn’t have done that by myself, so it feels pretty good to make a team effort.”
Later that evening, State took on the Hoyas of Georgetown and the home crowd experienced much of the same from the Pack.
Despite starting the game by giving up a run in the top of the first, N.C. State answered back in the bottom half of the innings. After three Wolfpack batters reached base on a pair of errors and a walk, senior outfielder Toni Ann Williford scored on an illegal pitch by Georgetown.
Following a scoreless second, the Hoyas tacked on another run, giving them a 2-1 lead headed into the bottom of the third. The Pack however responded through Wells who hit her second solo home run of the day to tie it up two all. Freshman Renada Davis then put the Wolfpack on top for the first time in the game with an RBI single, driving in Lippard.
N.C. State didn’t look back from there.
Weiman came into the game to relieve senior starting pitcher Morgan Peeler on the top of the fourth and she picked up right where she left off. Weiman recorded four more scoreless innings. She was nearly perfect in her second appearance of the day, striking out four and only walking two without allowing a hit.
Williford led off the fourth for the Pack with a triple down the right field line and was later brought home on a bunt single by Wells. Later in the innings sophomore first baseman Leah Jones brought Albertson home on a sacrifice fly to center field to give the Wolfpack a 5-2 lead.
State picked up three more runs in the fifth innings after a poor defensive performance by Georgetown led to three hits and two errors. The Pack tacked on a final run in the bottom of the sixth innings to solidify the 9-2 victory over the Hoyas, moving to 7-5 on the season.
After a rough offensive performance last weekend in Texas, Wolfpack head coach Lisa Navas seemed quite content with her lineup on the day.
“I like the way we made adjustments,” Navas said. ”Today was a big day for us. We bounced back and did what we needed to. A lot of the kids, like Wells, hit the ball great today. We had a lot of good things happen for us so it’s exciting.”
Wells seemed equally satisfied with the way the team was swinging the bat on Friday.
“Coming off a pretty disappointing weekend in Texas last weekend, it was nice to be back home first of all, and getting back on track with what we’re trying to do this year,” Wells said. ”Hitting the ball was good; we’re all hitting the ball well.”
The Pack is now on a three game winnings streak and will try and continue that on Saturday as they take on Pittsburgh at 1:00 pm and Kent State at 3:30 p.m. at the Dail Softball Stadium.
