North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
2-1
Florida
3-0
Pack Drops Doubleheader in Florida
2/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 12, 2011
CLEARWATER, Fla. - NC State (2-2) dropped a doubleheader today in Clearwater, Fla., falling to No. 5 Florida 9-0 and USF 8-6 in the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament.
Senior Bridget Desbois continued to hit the ball well, going 3-for-5 in the game versus South Florida. Alyssa Ishibashi also had a good day at the plate, going 3-for-5 and scoring one run against the Bulls.
In the second game of the doubleheader, versus USF, the Pack's offense got started early, scoring in the first inning. Ishibashi led off the game with a base hit and was moved to second by a Toni Ann Williford fielder's choice. Desbois continued her hot-hitting later in the inning by ripping a single, which scored Ishibashi to give the Pack a 2-0 lead.
South Florida responded in the bottom half of the inning, though, utilizing five hits and two walks to score five runs and take a 5-2 lead over the Wolfpack and starting pitcher Morgan Peeler. . NC State's offense came storming back in the third inning, notching three runs to knot the score at 5-5. Alyssa Allbritten started off the frame with a base and hit moved around to score thanks to back-to-back singles by Desbois and Alicia Abbott.
USF claimed the lead again in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on a Wolfpack defensive error to gain a 6-5 advantage.
The Pack kept it going in the fourth inning, opening the frame with three-straight singles by Williford, Allbritten and Desbois to load the bases. Abbott then drew a walk, plating Williford to tie the score at six-all. Breanna Andrews, the next batter, roped a shot to the outfield, which was caught. Consequently, Allbritten was then doubled-up at third base. Caitlin Dent then knocked a deep fly ball that was caught, ending the inning in a 6-6 tie.
The back-and-forth game continued in the bottom of the fourth inning, when USF's Kourtney Salvarola hit an inside the park homerun to give the Bulls a 7-6 lead.
NC State threatened again in the sixth inning, but despite a double by Dent, the squad was unable to convert the scoring opportunity into runs.
The Bulls extended their lead to 8-6 in the bottom half of the sixth inning thanks to a sacrifice fly off of Kayla Cox, on in relief of Peeler.
Bethaney Wells led off the seventh inning with a single, and was moved to second on a deep base hit by Ishibashi. The Bulls then countered with a pitching change, bringing ace Sara Nevins off the bench.to face the heart of the NC State lineup. Nevins proceeded to strike out Williford and induce a fly ball from Allbritten, leaving Desbois to pop out, ending the game in an 8-6 South Florida victory.
In the first game of the day, freshman Kayla Cox held the powerful Florida offense under wraps through the first two innings, giving up only one run while striking out four. The Gators, however, caught fire in the bottom of the third when Michelle Moultrie led off the frame with an infield single and Aja Paculba followed with a walk. Cleanup hitter Brittany Schutte then drilled a ball over the outfield fence, giving UF a 4-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Gators capitalized on four hits and one walk to push their lead to 9-0, invoking the run-rule.
Cox gave up eight hits to the No. 5 Gators, striking out eight in the process.
The Pack returns to action tomorrow in Clearwater, Fla., against Marshall at 9 a.m. for the final game of the USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stephanie Brombacher (2-0)
L: Cox, Kayla (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Kelsey Bruder 1 ; Tiffany DeFelice 1
HR: Brittany Schutte 1 ; Cheyenne Coyle 1
RBI: Kelsey Bruder 1 ; Brittany Schutte 3 ; Megan Bush 1 ; Tiffany DeFelice 2 ; Cheyenne Coyle 2
SF: Megan Bush 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Michelle Moultrie 2 ; Aja Paculba 2 ; Kelsey Bruder 1 ; Brittany Schutte 2 ; Chelsea Howell 1 ; Cheyenne Coyle 1
SB: Michelle Moultrie 1
