Midway through the Terrapin softball team’s season, it seemed as if ACC play would keep the team out of the NCAA Tournament.

But after the Terps emerged from N.C. State this weekend with their third straight conference series win, the team’s recent league success has suddenly revived their postseason hopes.

“It was a good weekend,” coach Laura Watten said. “Pitching was good, and we just came through with our bats. … [It was a] tough situation for us to go in and be able to take two out of three from them at their home field. But we did well and had a good weekend.”

After opening ACC play 0-7 and losing their first three conference series the Terps (29-19, 7-10 ACC) have won seven of their last 10 ACC contests.

Pitcher Kerry Hickey took the rubber in the series opener Saturday and struck out six, but the Wolfpack (28-23, 9-9) put across two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and held on for a 2-0 victory.

It would mark the last time the Wolfpack scored all weekend. Pitcher Kendra Knight struck out six to shut out N.C. State, and infielder Alex Schultz’s two-run home run gave the Terps all the offense they needed for a 2-0 win in Saturday’s nightcap.

Knight was even more dominant in the series finale yesterday, giving up only one hit  — a single to the first Wolfpack batter of the game. Infielder Marisha Branson’s fourth-inning solo home run to right field gave the Terps a 1-0 victory and a 2-1 series win.

While the Terps’ offense wasn’t explosive in Raleigh, N.C., it didn’t need to be. Hickey and Knight struck out a combined 19 batters over the weekend, scattering eight hits in three games and not allowing a single earned run.

“It helps so much,” Schultz said. “It takes a lot of pressure off the offense. They’re just amazing pitchers. It helps us compete with top teams.”

It’s nothing new for the Terps. The Knight-Hickey duo leads a pitching staff that is near the top of every ACC pitching statistic and hasn’t allowed double-digit runs all year.

“They’re just really doing well,” Watten said. “They’re under a lot of pressure, and they’ve really been able to offset each other so well and really be successful and just get better as the season has gone along.”

The two-victory weekend for the Terps matched the team’s win total from last season. With seven regular season games and the ACC Tournament remaining, the Terps will almost certainly improve upon their 2009 record.

The series victory also pushed the Terps one step closer to ending their 10-year absence from the postseason.

“I feel really good about our chances,” Schultz said. “We keep playing this way, I feel that we’re going to be really strong contenders.”

With only seven games remaining in the regular season — all of them against less-celebrated opponents — staying focused is essential for the Terps. The team has occasionally struggled in “trap games” this year, a fact Watten won’t let her squad forget.

“We’re feeling good,” Watten said, “but also knowing that we really have work to do. There’s no overconfidence at all. We know what we’ve got to do. We know what our goals are in front of us.”

schneider@umdbk.com