Wolfpack Drop Tar Heels in First Game of ACC Championship

Thursday, May 12

College Park, Md.

11:00 AM

NC State

41-23

North Carolina - ACC Championship

36-26

North Carolina

NC State

Wolfpack Drop Tar Heels in First Game of ACC Championship

5/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

May 12, 2005

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - NC State continued its recent hot streak, winning for the 10th time in 11 games, after a 2-0 win over North Carolina in the first game of the ACC Championship. The No. 4 seed Wolfpack (41-23) got solo home runs from Miranda Ervin and Jen Chamberlin and a two-hit shutout from Abbie Sims (20-7) to defeat the No. 5 Tar Heels (36-26). The win was the first ACC Championship win ever for NC State in its second year as a program, and moved the Wolfpack to a 3-1 record this season, and 4-2 all-time against North Carolina. NC State will face No. 1 seed Georgia Tech at 7:30 p.m. tonight in College Park, Md.

Sims allowed two hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters for her 20th win of the season. It was the 15th time this season that Sims has struck out 10 or more batters, and the fourth straight game that she has done that.

Chamberlin hit her team leading 11th home run, a solo shot in the sixth, while Ervin hit her seventh in the fourth inning.

Both pitchers tossed one hitters through three innings, with Sims allowing a single in the first inning. Jen Chamberlin hit an infield single in the first off of Crystal Cox (20-17), who also cruised into the fourth inning.

The Wolfpack's Miranda Ervin launched the 3-2 offering from Cox over the left field fence in the fourth inning for a 1-0 lead for her seventh home run of the season.

Sims faced a challenge in the next half inning, allowing a lead off double that hit the top of the left field wall on the first pitch of the inning to Erica Ennis. Julia Bove sacrificed the pinch runner Ashley Oxendine to third to bring up the top of the order. Sims reached back and fanned Cassie Palmer and Marissa May to end the inning with the runner stranded on third.

NC State put its second run on the board with a rip over the left field fence from Chamberlin, her 11th of the season, in the sixth inning.

Sims came out in the seventh and put down the Tar Heels in order to end the game, notching a strikeout to begin the inning, her 10th of the game, and a popout and groundout as Sims won her 20th game for the second straight season.