NC State softball is running up a streak, winning its eighth consecutive game thanks to its latest victory — a 9-0 walloping of Albany.
Like it has all season, the Wolfpack (9-3) played a strong all-around game. Regardless of whether it was batting, pitching or fielding, the Pack cleared the Great Danes (0-1) off the field. The red-and-white also held a clear advantage of experience with several games under its belt, while Albany was making its season debut.
“The biggest key to being on the winning streak is just continuing to play against ourselves,” said head coach Lindsay Leftwich. “It’s not the other team on the field, it’s us versus us — the more we do that, the more we’ll continue to win.”
While the Great Danes fought hard early, the floodgates opened in the third inning for NC State. The Pack enjoyed a six-run explosion in the frame that left Albany stunned and unable to recover.
“We finally started swinging at pitches we could drive, instead of just swinging at whatever they threw,” Leftwich said. “When we become more disciplined in the box, we hit balls harder — it’s funny how that works.”
NC State opened the third with a single and a double, setting up two runners in scoring position with no outs. Junior third baseman Hannah Goodwin then stepped to the plate and hit a two-RBI single, aided by an Albany error. Not to be outdone, sophomore shortstop MaKayla Marbury blasted a two-run homer to double the Pack’s lead. The red-and-white remained hot at the plate and tallied another pair of runs before the frame closed.
After hitting one home run, Marbury wasn’t finished. Goodwin picked up a walk in the fourth, and Marbury blasted her second homer of the day past left field. The two-run shot was an exclamation point on an impressive showing by Marbury and emblematic of the Pack’s sudden dominance.
“Coach really emphasizes trusting our plan and what we worked on all week,” Marbury said. “That was what was in my head coming in, so I just stuck to my plan.”
While the Pack tacked on one last run, the Great Danes failed to respond, in large part due to the strong performance by redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann. The red-and-white’s ace pitched five innings, posted eight strikeouts and only one hit allowed. Weixlmann only pitched for five innings since the game ended in a run-rule after five innings.
“She throws gas,” Leftwich said. “She can put it where she wants and she throws it hard. It’s really hard as an offense to prepare for 70 at your face … It makes her super effective.”
Additionally, the Wolfpack shined in the field. While the Great Danes committed multiple costly errors, NC State played a clean game in the field without a single error. The Pack also had some impressive catches in the field.
“The biggest part is playing great defense,” Leftwich said. “We didn’t make any errors, we challenged them before the game that we wanted to play clean defense.”
Even though the Pack put up an impressive performance, there’s still work to be done. NC State struggled during its first trip down the lineup to get on base. With little production in the first two innings, the red-and-white allowed the Great Danes a chance early.
“I want us to score the first time through the lineup and not have to wait till you’ve seen somebody once,” Leftwich said. “Just have to be more aggressive early and get your best swings off.”
The Wolfpack faces a quick turnaround, facing Albany again on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 8 a.m. It then faces off against Cleveland State at 10:30 a.m.
