NC State softball swept its doubleheader, topping North Dakota State 6-4 and Campbell 4-3. It marked the first two games of the Marucci Classic, which also includes Elon and UConn in the three-day event hosted at Dail Softball Stadium.
"Any time you can get two wins is a good day," said head coach Lindsay Leftwich. "No matter what they look like, I think that they figured out how to fight and they figured out to have more energy than they probably ever have before. I'm really, really pleased with that."
Game 1
The Wolfpack (4-3) opened the Marucci Classic with a historic victory over North Dakota State (4-5). The win was the 13th home opening victory in program history and marked Leftwich's first-ever win at Dail Softball Stadium.
"It's just so great thinking how this is a new chapter for history," said freshman left fielder Tori Ensley. "People will look back on this, and we're just really grateful for coach Lindsay, and we just love it so far."
The game opened with a bang as the Bison jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. After racking up two outs, North Dakota State blasted a single into center field that was followed up by a walk. With two runners on base, the Bison drilled a home run. With the quick score, the Pack found itself in a hole early.
Despite the rough start, the Wolfpack rebounded, scoring the game's next six runs. Junior right fielder Taylor Ensley hit the red-and-white's first homer at the Dail. Sophomore shortstop MaKayla Marbury tacked on another run in the second with a homer of her own, bringing the Pack within one.
NC State took the lead for good in the third inning when it hit back-to-back solo shots. Sophomore catcher Amanda Hasler hit the first, then Taylor Ensley blasted her second home run of the game immediately after. With control of the lead, the Pack fully shook off the rocky start and never trailed the rest of the game.
The Wolfpack continued its success tacking on two more runs over the next two innings to secure its lead, while giving up a late run in the sixth. Nevertheless, the Bison had run out of steam after the first inning and failed to mount a comeback, resulting in a 6-4 NC State victory.
Game 2
In its second game of the day, the Pack took on the Campbell Camels (0-6). Contrary to the first game, hits were few and far between for both teams. NC State was led by redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann, who pitched all seven innings, recording five strikeouts while allowing just five hits.
"When you run into a pitcher's duel you just got to keep chipping away," Leftwich said. "I was really proud of our team for doing that and making sure it didn't matter till your last at-bat. It didn't matter what you did before. It's the next one that counted."
The first five innings consisted of some incredible pitching and fielding from both teams, holding each other scoreless. The long, defensive battle was highlighted by sophomore center fielder Ellie Goins, who made a home run saving catch while reaching over the wall.
Despite the slow start, the Wolfpack roared to life in the bottom of the sixth inning, beginning with Tori Ensley, who clobbered a ball to deep right field. As she reached third base, the chase-down throw went awry, allowing Ensley to reach home plate and mark the first run of the game.
Immediately following the score, a walk from senior second baseman Kaylee Lambrecht and a double from Goins put runners on second and third base. Marbury then tripled to right field, allowing Lambrecht and Goins to score. Finally, junior designated hitter Alaina Smith reached first on an error, bringing Marbury to home plate and capping off a four-run eruption late in the game.
The Camels were able to mount a three-run seventh but fell short after Weixlmann struck out their final batter, closing out the game with a final score of 4-3.
"I was just sticking with my plan, looking for an outside pitch," Ensley said. "Our pitcher Aisha was dealing the whole game and we hadn't really given her runs to work with. I just wanted to get a good hit for her, and that's what I did."
NC State will continue the Marucci Classic with another doubleheader on Saturday, hosting the Elon Phoenix at noon and the UConn Huskies at 2:30 p.m.
https://www.technicianonline.com/sports/nc-state-softball-sweeps-doubleheader-leftwich-earns-first-home-wins/article_3466f4c2-cd40-11ee-97b7-0f03b0fe61c4.html 
