After a long weekend of almost non-stop play, NC State softball finished the Purple & Gold Challenge 1-4 after dropping its final game to the hosting LSU Tigers 7-0.
The Wolfpack (13-24) got off to a rocky start on Sunday, April 2 as it looked to bring a second win from the weekend back to Raleigh, but the Tigers (31-6) once again showed why they are the No. 14 team in the nation.
Inconsistent pitching proved to be a crutch for the Wolfpack in the shutout loss, with four separate arms coming into the circle for NC State. Freshman right-handed pitcher Madison Inscoe was given the start today in the matinee performance, but after allowing four runs in the span of two innings, she was replaced by redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann.
After shutting out Louisiana Tech the previous day, fans may have expected the Pack’s batter’s box to be on fire from the get-go, but that just was not the case. Throughout the seven innings played, only three NC State players were able to put the bat on the ball and produce a hit. Sophomore third baseman Hannah Goodwin and junior first baseman Hailey Haislip led the team with two hits each.
LSU got into a groove early on by scoring five runs throughout the first two innings. NC State had chances to get on the board throughout the game, but the Pack’s biggest problem was being unable to get the job done. A total of seven Wolfpack players were left on base.
Following a scoreless third and fourth inning, the fifth frame brought up the energy for those watching and proved to be the final straw in the LSU win.
LSU’s Georgia Clark hit a staggering home run off of NC State’s freshman right-handed pitcher Rylee Wyman, putting the Tigers up 6-0. This wasn’t enough for the Tigers as they continued to put on a show with another home run coming only a few pitches later, bringing the score to 7-0, which is where it would stay.
Given two more innings at the plate, the Wolfpack was unable to answer those home runs from LSU, and thus the shutout was finished.
While the batter’s box and pitcher’s mound weren’t on-par this afternoon, the Wolfpack infield played a good game. Freshman catcher Amanda Hasler recorded two assists for herself, but the star of the infield was sophomore second baseman Taylor Ensley, who notched a team-high five assists.
The Wolfpack continues ACC play in Syracuse, New York against the Orange starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 6.
