Coming off a 4-2 win over Michigan State, the Notre Dame softball team -- now 17-10 overall this season and 2-4 in the ACC -- are preparing to play three games against NC State. The Wolfpack come in with three wins and one loss from the Garnet & Black Invitational.
Last year, the Irish fared well against NC State, winning two out of the three games. They lost the first game 11-3, won the second game 10-2 and won the third game 7-1.
Last year, in the first game against the Wolfpack, the Irish fell 11-3. The Irish pulled ahead strong at the start, with two runs in the first inning and one run in the second. NC State was quick to respond, scoring two runs in the second inning and then seven runs in the third, making the score 9-3. Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth inning, but eventually, the Wolfpack ended the game in the sixth inning by scoring two more runs, making the final score 11-3.
The second and third games ended in favor of the Irish. They wasted no time jumping ahead in the first inning, putting two runs on the board and adding four more in the second. Senior first baseman Karina Gaskins drove in two more runs after a home run to center, then graduate student and infielder Lexi Orozco hit a triple and scored off a single from third baseman Joley Mitchell in the second inning to help the Irish gain the 6-0 lead over the Wolfpack.
Gaskins lit up the field in the sixth inning, leading off with a home run, and with two runners on, second baseman Brooke Marquez doubled to center field to bring the score up to 10-2 against the Wolfpack.
Micaela Kastor started the second game in the circle for the Irish last year, pitching her first full complete game as a freshman. Kastor pitched all six innings, allowing six hits and striking out three to earn the win for the Irish.
The Irish kept the momentum going into the third game, not wasting any time on offense. Gaskins, Mitchell and Orozco all had hits, and by the middle of the fourth inning, the Irish were up 3-0. NC State responded in the bottom of the fourth with a homer of their own, now making the score 3-1, but the Irish did not let that rattle them. Orozco and Mitchell added more points to the board, extending the lead to 5-1 for the Irish in the sixth inning. Finally, in the seventh inning, Gaskins and outfielder Leea Hanks put up two more points to finish out the game with a 7-1 victory over the Wolfpack.
Payton Tidd started the game in the circle for the Irish. Tidd allowed only one hit on the day and finished the game with seven strikeouts, tying her season high.
Looking ahead, NC State is coming off three wins and one loss from the Garnet & Black Invitational. They won 1-0 against Northwestern, 3-1 against Michigan State and 4-0 against South Carolina, but lost 14-4 against Minnesota.
Some of the team's best hitters include Michele Tarpey, with a batting average of .410, and Taylor Ensley, who has a batting average of .348, good for second-best on the team.
On the mound, Aisha Weixlmann leads the team with a total of six wins on the season and a total of 50 strikeouts. Finally, in the field, Ellie Goins and Tori Ensley are NC State's two regular players with a fielding percentage of 1.000 on the season so far.
The Irish will kick off their weekend series against NC State at 4 p.m. this Friday.
