Softball Wallops St. Joe's, 6-1

Saturday, March 8

Clearwater, Fla.

6:00 PM

NC State

12-12

Saint Joseph's

1-8

St. Joe's

NC State

3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. Nine Wolfpack hits and four Hawk errors aided NC State in a 6-1 win over St. Joe’s at the USF Under Armour Invitational on Saturday, March 8. Lacey Holm went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Pack.

The win moves State to 12-12 on the year, while the Hawks fall to 1-8.

Lindsay Campana (5-10) secured the victory with four K’s in five innings of work, while Lauren Cognigni absorbed the loss.

The Hawks put up one run on a passed ball in the top of the first. Kelsey Moir singled up the middle, and Erika Rosenwinkel followed with a double to right-center. Moir later scored when Alyssa Allbritten couldn’t reel in a pitch from Campana.

Two costly Hawks errors, coupled with two hits, allowed State to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the first. Smith sent a dribbler to second, but Rebeka Shumock’s throw was way off target, allowing Smith to reach. Smith then pilfered second, Lauren Peters walked on four balls, and Smith and Peters pulled off a double steal to put runners at second and third. Holm followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Smith, but Holm also advanced to third, and Peters scored, when Dana Bieniek’s throw from short to home sailed wide.

After Cognigni walked Allison Presnell, St. Joe’s made a pitching change. Danielle Gonzales went from first to the circle, and Cori Bower took over at first. Gonzales fell into a hole immediately, nailing Alyssa Ishibashi with a pitch to load the bases, but she fanned Kristine Bechtholdt and induced a grounder from Bridget Desbois to thwart any more damage.

The Pack added two more runs on a Presnell base hit in the bottom of the second. Blair Harkey lined a single through the right side, and Smith followed with a grounder that went right between Bieniek’s legs at short. Allbritten drew a walk to load the bases shortly thereafter, and Presnell laced a single just inside the line down first.

Brooke Darreff smoked a ground-rule double to center in the top of the fourth, but it didn’t much matter as Campana held the Hawks scoreless anyway.

State struck again in the bottom of the fourth. Holm singled and Krystal Hawkins ran in her place. Ishibashi then tattooed an RBI ground-rule double to center.

Desbois landed her first career hit with a single in the bottom of the fifth.

Mendy McKenzie took over in the circle for the Pack in the top of the sixth, immediately recording two strikeouts.

The red and white added a final insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Allbritten reached first on an error at short, and Claudia Cooper smacked a double into right-center. Allbritten later scored on a wild pitch ball four to Ishibashi.

State will take on Team USA in an exhibition game at 9 p.m.