Wolfpack Softball Wins ACC Championship

Sunday, May 14

Chapel Hill, N.C. (ACC Tournament)

12:00 PM

NC State

49-19

Florida State

41-27

Florida State

NC State

The Wolfpack pose for a team photo after winning the ACC Tournament.

5/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

May 14, 2006

Box Score

Shaina Ervin went five innings in relief and was nearly unhittable as No. 23 NC State defeated Florida State in the title game to capture its first ACC Championship. Ervin struck out 10 and allowed two hits in five innings of relief and was named tournament MVP. The Wolfpack offense notched nine hits and Shanna Smith and Jen Chamberlin each homered for NC State and Megan Dalthorp went 3-for-3 with a RBI as NC State struck first and led the entire way to improve to 49-19.

The Wolfpack won the regular season title and the ACC Championship title in its third season as a program and received the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2-seeded Wolfpack will face No. 3 seed UL-Lafayette on Friday, May 19 in Baton Rouge, La. The LSU Tigers host and are the No. 1 seed in the regional, as they will face No. 4 seed Princeton.

Smith hit her second home run of the championship in the bottom half of the first for a 1-0 Wolfpack lead.

NC State came back in the bottom of the second as Sims drew a leadoff walk and Megan Dalthorp singled through the left side to put two on. McDonald got out of the inning as Sims was forced at third on a fielder's choice from pinch hitter Jennifer Patterson.

The Wolfpack bats put two more runs on the board in the third to increase its advantage to 3-0. Smith got things going with a one-out single and Jen Chamberlin was hit by a pitch. Miranda Ervin laced a single into center to drive in Smith for Ervin's 10th RBI. Sims reached on a fielder's choice, and Dalthorp ripped a RBI double down the left field line to make it 3-0.

Chamberlin made it 4-0 Wolfpack in the fifth with her 12th home run of the season to tie her career high set as a freshman in 2004. The home run also moved her into a tie for third all-time in the ACC with 35 career home runs.

Shaina Ervin retired nine straight Seminoles' batters until Whitney Buckmon reached on an error and Alicart doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third with no outs in the sixth. Veronica Wootson hit a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Buckmon to trim the lead to 4-1.

Shaina Ervin closed the door in the seventh, retiring the side with two more strikeouts. She finished with 10 strikeouts and allowed two hits and an unearned run in five innings pitched.

Shaina Ervin was named the MVP of the ACC Championship, and Miranda Ervin and Shanna Smith were both named to the all-tournament team. Shaina Ervin was 3-0 in the ACC Championship with a 0.64 ERA and a save in 22 innings pitched. She fanned 31 batters and walked just three, allowing nine hits in four appearances. Miranda Ervin hit .389 with three home runs and set a new ACC Championship record with 10 RBIs. Smith hit two home runs, a triple and hit .357 in the tournament.