SBvsRadford_WeixlmannPitches_KB.jpg

Redshirt junior Aisha Weixlmann pitches the ball during the game against Radford in Dail Softball Stadium on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Weixlmann struck out three players. NC State beat Radford 8-7.

 Kaela Belingon

NC State softball defeated North Carolina A&T 8-2 at Dail Softball Stadium on Wednesday, March 29. Thanks to an electric start in the batter's box and dominant arms in the circle, the Wolfpack was able to crack out a win. 

The Pack (12-20) came into the early-evening game after suffering a series sweep at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals last weekend. While the Aggies (6-22) scored two runs, they couldn’t keep up with a quick-swinging Wolfpack lineup.

Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Aisha Weixlmann kicked things off for the Wolfpack on the mound, recording two strikeouts in the first inning to deny NC A&T an early lead. Minutes later, freshman catcher Amanda Hasler doubled to left field for two RBIs, giving NC State a 2-0 lead heading into the second frame. 

Weixlmann was in her element, totaling seven strikeouts throughout the five innings she pitched and reaching a new season high in the process. That mentality transferred to freshman right-handed pitcher Rylee Wyman, who took over for Weixlmann after the fifth inning. Wyman notched a couple of strikeouts of her own and only allowed one run.

“Aisha and Rylee did really well tonight,” said assistant coach Carson Shaner. “They got some good innings, and that's what we want them to do. We have five games this weekend, so we're gonna have to use all of our arms. I'm so excited about them having a good outing and looking forward to more this weekend.”

Of the four home runs the Wolfpack notched across the game, it didn’t take long for the team to get its first. Graduate center fielder Rebecca Murray gave the red-and-white another run in the second frame to bring the score up to 3-0. 

After that, however, it wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth before the Wolfpack scored again. The third, fourth and fifth innings were a tad sleepy, although the Aggies’ Makayla Layton recorded a homer of her own to pull A&T within one-run.

“We were just a little early,” Shaner said. “We talked about that adjustment and we made it in the sixth inning and they started driving the ball. So that was good to see.”

One highlight of the middle three frames, however, was freshman shortstop Makayla Marbury’s diving catch to record the team’s second out of the third inning.

Later, Marbury scored NC State’s third homer of the sixth frame — its fourth overall — to give the Wolfpack an 8-1 lead. The Aggies had one more inning to recover, but ultimately only managed to record a single homer before fouling out to end the game.

The Wolfpack look to start a win streak heading into the weekend as it faces a five-game stretch. The first game for the Pack in the LSU Tournament is scheduled for Friday, March 31 at 12:30 p.m.

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Contributor

I graduated in May 2023 with a degree in biology and a concentration in technical and scientific communication. I joined Technician as a correspondent in August 2020, and I served as Managing Editor for Vol. 103. 

Assistant Sports Editor

I'm Erin Ferrare and I'm a freshman from Yorktown, Virginia. This is my first year writing for TechSports. I enjoy writing about and spectating volleyball, football, and hockey.

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