RALEIGH, N.C. – Pitcher Carrie Eberle racked up her third win of the weekend, throwing a three-hit shutout against NC State in No. 25 Virginia Tech softball's 1-0 victory on Sunday at Dail Stadium.
The righty posted her third shutout of the season to help the Hokies (21-4, 5-1 ACC) sweep the Wolfpack (16-11, 0-3). First baseman Jayme Bailey had the lone RBI in the game, hitting a sacrifice fly to right to score third baseman Kelsey Bennett, who got on with a triple.
The ACC road sweep marks Tech's first since April 13-14, 2018, when it defeated Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, three times in a row.
QUOTING PITCHER CARRIE EBERLE
On it being her third consecutive day pitching and what her stamina was like:
"With it being one game a day, it's not as bad," Eberle said. "With yesterday only having to be five innings, that definitely helped. My pitch count was lower than normal yesterday, which was good, too. I felt good today, actually better than yesterday with me having more command."
On forcing quite a bit of ground balls:
"I think it's just getting ahead, and once you get ahead, you can make them swing at pitches that they shouldn't," Eberle said. "Sometimes they roll over, too. So, it worked out. I've just been throwing what I know and it's been working."
On the 5-1 start in ACC play and why the team is off to a good start:
"We have been doing really well, which has been fun," Eberle said. "ACC play is a grind, especially on Sundays. I think our mentality has been really good. It's a new day every day, so I think that mindset has been good with it keeping the energy up."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pack started the game by putting the pressure on, getting runners on first and second in the bottom of the first with no outs. Eberle (13-1) induced a ground ball to short and Caitlyn Nolan corralled it, touched second base and fired it to first for the double play.
The next batter would hit a slow roller to short and Nolan picked it and threw it sidearm, across her body to get the third out, keeping the game knotted at 0-0.
Tech would follow with loading the bases with a few walks, but come away empty handed in the second. In the fourth, Bennett roped a ball to right center, tipping the center field's glove and hitting the wall as the freshman scooted to third for the triple.
In a 2-2 count, Bailey lifted a high fly ball to right and Bennett timed the catch, sprinting home and scoring what would be the game-winning run. Catcher Mackenzie Lawter hit a hard ground ball to short that would go into the outfield for the Hokies' second hit of the game afterward.
In the bottom of the seventh, Eberle got a grounder to third to get the first out. But she gave up a ball that went right back at her, tipping her glove for a Pack single up the middle. The next at-bat Eberle got a fielder's choice, bringing the game to one on, two outs with State's seven-hitter at the plate.
Eberle would throw a heater on the outside corner for a called strike three, ending the game with her third strikeout of the game.
NOTES
- Over the weekend, Tech outhit the Pack 19-13, outscored them 17-3 and outhomered them 5-1.
- In a dominant series, Eberle boasted a 0.74 ERA in the three games in 19.0 innings pitched. A 11-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio highlighted her weekend, as she now has more wins (13) than she did last season (12).
- With the shutout, Tech now has 10 on the year. That ties the most in the ACC with Louisville.
- Bennett's triple was the first of her career and Tech's fourth of the season. She joins Darby Trull, Emma Strouth and Al Velazquez who have accomplished the three-bagger.
UP NEXT
- The Hokies will head back to Blacksburg for two midweek tilts at home, taking on Binghamton (6-7) on Tuesday in a doubleheader and Lipscomb (18-7-1) on Wednesday. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on the WatchESPN app, while Wednesday's will be on ACC Network Extra.Gallery: (3/17/2019) 2019 SOFTBALL at NC STATE GAME 3
