Wolfpack Softball Defeats Marist, 3-2 in Ten Innings

Saturday, March 19

Raleigh, N.C.

11:00 AM

NC State

27-13

Marist (Wolfpack Challenge)

1-6

NC State

Marist

Wolfpack Softball Defeats Marist, 3-2 in Ten Innings

3/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 19, 2005

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State and Marist squared off in the first game of the Wolfpack Challenge on Saturday, Mar. 19 at Walnut Creek Softball Complex. The game would provide high drama, as it went into extra innings before the game was decided. NC State (27-13) won 3-2 in ten innings, with Brooke Isley pitching nine innings to improve to 4-0. Abbie Sims notched her second save of the season with a 1-2-3 tenth, striking out two Marist (1-6) batters. Shanna Smith went 2-for-4, and Jen Chamberlin and Jess Willems secured the only RBIs needed in the win.

Brooke Isley cut through the first two innings, striking out three and producing 1-2-3 innings in each frame. The first two batters of the third reached off of a walk and a fielder's choice, and both advanced to second and third on a wild pitch with no outs. Shanna Smith made two outstanding plays in the field to record the first two outs, catching a sinking liner and by chasing down a foul ball near the fence. Isley induced a groundout to end the inning.

NC State took an early lead in the game in the fourth, with Jen Chamberlin getting hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Ashleigh Davis stole second with no outs to bring up Shaina Ervin. Ervin hit a towering, tailing fly ball to deep right field, and Lyndsay Ward dropped the ball to allow Davis to score from second for the 1-0 lead.

Isley had a no-hitter through the first four innings before allowing a single up the middle to start the fifth. After two fielder's choices and a ground out scored the tying run, Marist had runners on second and third with one out. Isley struck out a batter and forced a ground out to end the threat.

The game would go into extra innings, with the international tiebreaker going into effect. In the bottom of the eighth, Marist moved its runner to third on a sacrifice bunt. The runner on third was caught on a pickoff after a failed bunt attempt, with Miranda Ervin throwing to Chamberlin and back to Shaina Ervin to get the runner at home.

In the top of the ninth, NC State took a 2-1 lead on a Willems ground out to score Tess Corona from third. The Red Foxes responded with the tying run on a RBI single from Castellano.

The tenth would bring the go ahead run across for NC State, with Smith advancing Gelbard to third. Chamberlin singled to right field to bring in the winning run, 3-2.