No. 11 Michigan Skirts Past Softball, 2-1

Saturday, March 1

Columbus, Ga.

1:30 PM

NC State

9-10

Michigan

14-2

Michigan

NC State

3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ga. NC State went toe-to-toe with No. 11 Michigan at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Saturday, March 1, falling just short, 2-1. Lindsay Campana (3-8) held the heralded Wolverine offense to seven hits, and didn’t issue any walks. Jordan Taylor (9-1) picked up the decision.

The loss sends the Pack to 9-10 on the year, while Wolverines climb to 14-2.

Dorian Shaw reached first on an error by Shanna Smith at short to start the top of the third, but State got out of it without falling behind on the scoreboard. Roya St. Clair advanced Megan Gregory, running for Shaw, to second with a sac-bunt, and Gregory took third on a Teddi Ewing groundout. But Campana kept Gregory clear of the plate by inducing a grounder back to the circle from Molly Bausher to end the inning.

State nearly put a scratch on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Smith led off with the Pack’s first hit, a single up the middle, and Kristine Bechtholdt pushed her to second with a well-placed sac-bunt right in front of the plate. An Alyssa Allbritten grounder to first sent Smith to third, but Lacey Holm sent a dribbler back to the circle and was barely beat by the throw at first.

Michigan pulled ahead 2-0 with four hits in the top of the fifth. Nikki Nemitz singled up the middle and was replaced on the basepath by Michelle Weatherdon. A sac-bunt from Shaw sent Weatherdon to second, and St. Clair followed with an RBI double to deep left.

Bausher added another RBI double to deep right later in the inning.

State cut the Wolverines lead in half with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Blair Harkey placed a base hit through the right side to get things started, and Smith moved her up a base with a sac-bunt. Harkey later scored when Allbritten drilled a clutch two-out double to the gap in right-center, shrinking Michigan’s lead to 2-1.

But it was too little to late. The Pack went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.

State returns to the field tomorrow, Sunday, March 2, for its final game at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Pack will take on No. 2 Texas A&M at 10 a.m.