North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
0-1
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Kansas
2-0
Softball Drops Season Opener to Kansas, 4-3
2/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ORLANDO, Fla. Despite making things interesting in its last at-bat, NC State lost its 2008 season opener to Kansas, 4-3, at the UCF Tournament in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 8. Sophomore Lindsay Campana was solid in her first game with the Pack, allowing just one earned run while fanning five.
State now stands at 0-1, while KU moves to 2-0.
In all, seven players made their debuts in the red and white; Alyssa Allbritten, Campana, Bridget Desbois, Lacey Holm, Alyssa Ishibashi, Eliza Jacobellis and Lauren Peters.
Shanna Smith and Peters delivered back-to-back singles to get things started, and Kristine Bechtholdt loaded the bases when she reached third on a miscue by Jayhawks third baseman Val Chapple. Allbritten put the Pack on the board with a base hit through the left side, scoring Smith from third. Peters then scored on an Ishibashi grounder to second.
Stevie Crisosto got the ball rolling for KU in the bottom of the third, reaching first on an error by Smith at short and eventually scoring on a Dougie McCaulley blooper into shallow left-center.
The Jayhawks scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take over. Sara Ramirez drilled a two-out double to deep right-center, scoring Chapple from first. Campana then k’d Crisosto but she reached first anyway after beating an errant throw from Allbritten behind the plate, which allowed Ramirez to score during the fracas. Jobe later brought Crisosto in with a single through the left side.
Allison Presnell led off the top of the fifth with a double to the warning track in left, but she was left stranded at second.
The Pack nearly tied things up in the top of the seventh. Holm reached first on an error by Chapple at third and Krystal Hawkins, running in place of Holm, then stole second and scored on a double down the right field line from Claudia Cooper. Peters delivered a two-out single to third, but Presnell grounded out to end the game.
The loss marks just the second time in the Wolfpack's five-year history that it has lost its season opener. The Pack lost its first ever game in 2004 to Radford (1-0).
State will return to the field later today for a 6 p.m. affair against tournament host Central Florida.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vertelka (1-0)
L: Campana , Lindsay (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Presnell, Allison 1 ; Cooper, Claudia 1
RBI: Allbritten , Alyssa 1 ; Ishibashi, Alyssa 1 ; Cooper, Claudia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Shanna 1 ; Peters, Lauren 1 ; Hawkins, Krystal 1
SB: Hawkins, Krystal 1
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Batting:
2B: Ramirez 1
RBI: Jobe 1 ; McCaulley 1 ; Ramirez 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Crisosto 2 ; Chapple 1 ; Ramirez 1
