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Emily Weiman tossed her second career no hitter, one of the five-inning, mercy-rule shortened variety, as the N.C. State softball team climbed to within a game of .500 with a commanding 15-0 win over visiting St. Bonaventure. Meanwhile, over at the Doak, the Pack Nine held off Davidson to notch their seventh straight win.
Weiman was backed by a 17-hit attack that saw 11 Pack ladies record at least one hit. Renada Davis led the offensive onslaught with a 3-for-4 day that included a pair of round trippers. Davis scored three runs and drove in four.
Weiman walked two and struck out seven in her no-hit effort in the circle. She needed just 68 pitches to complete the blowout-shortened affair and lowered her season ERA to 3.76.
N.C. State (5-6) opens conference play with a doubleheader Saturday against Virginia.
All Pent Up
The Pack Nine’s seventh straight win resembled a 2013 win, as the bullpen bailed out a starter who had less than his best day. Andrew Woeck worked four shutout innings and John Olczak worked an unscathed ninth for his second save after starter Patrick Peterson was touched for five runs (four earned) in four innings.
The excellent penmanship helped Chance Shepard’s fourth-inning grand slam hold up. Shepard, who has the slam as his lone hit of the season, put the Pack (7-1) up 6-1 with his bases-clearing blast. Jake Fincher contributed to the Pack’s 11-hit attack with a single, double, and two RBI. Fincher has three two-baggers and six RBI on the season.
Woeck is unscored upon in 7.2 innings this season, and Olczak has yet to allow even a hit in five frames. D.J. Thomas has eight strikeouts in just 3.2 innings to give the pair of righties a lefty compliment. Olczak’s zilch batting average against contributes to a Pack staff that has allowed opponents to bat just .179 so far this season. Conversely, six of the seven State batters who have started at least six games are batting .313 or higher, and the team has a .280 average.
After playing five of their last six games against Southern Conference foes, the Pack takes on BCS opponents in their next two non-conference tilts, starting with Michigan on Friday. College World Series champion UCLA will take on the Pack Saturday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. The Omaha rematch with the Bruins is part of the Irish Classic, which also includes Notre Dame, Appalachian State, and Youngstown State, the team the Pack play Sunday back at the Doak.