Albertson Hits 2 HRs in 5-2 Win Over Kansas

Saturday, March 2

Raleigh, N.C.

4:45 PM

NC State

9-5-1

Kansas

13-5

Kansas

NC State

3/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 2, 2013

Final Stats | Box Score (Game 1) | Photo Gallery

2013 WOLFPACK CHALLENGE
Friday, March 1
Lafayette 3, N.C. A&T 1
Kansas 17, N.C. A&T 0
Kansas 12, Stony Brook 0
NC State 16, Stony Brook 2

Saturday, March 2
Kansas 20, Lafayette 0 (5)
Stony Brook 12, Lafayette 1 (6)
Stony Brook 8, N.C. A&T 7
NC State 5, Kansas 2
NC State 20, N.C. A&T 0 (5)

Sunday, March 3
    9 a.m.                    Kansas vs. Stony Brook
    11:15 a.m.              N.C. A&T vs. Lafayette
    1:30 p.m.               NC State vs. Lafayette

RALEIGH, N.C. - For the third time this season, NC State softball clubbed four home runs in a game, this time to beat Kansas 5-2 on Saturday evening in the fourth game of the day in the 2013 Wolfpack Challenge at the Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Stadium.

Junior outfielder Scout Albertson hit her first homer of the season on a long solo shot to left-center field. Sophomore Renada Davis followed two batters later with her ACC-leading seventh of the season to give the Wolfpack a 2-0 lead.

The Pack added three more in the fifth, on a two-run shot to left-centerfield by senior Caitlin Dent, her first homer of the season. Albertson followed two batters later with her second homer of the game, a solo shot to right centerfield.

It's the second time this season that a State player has hit two homers in one game and the 21^st time in the history of the program. Davis had two in a 9-1 victory over Troy last weekend in Atlanta.

"It was great to see our bats come alive like that, against a good team like Kansas," said first-year head coach Shawn Rychcik. "Scout really turned on the two balls she hit out of the park.

"Caitlin also got her ball way up in the air and there was no doubt that it was going out. We were hitting the ball hard all night long."

Despite all the offense, sophomore right-handed pitcher Emily Weiman turned in one of the most impressive performances of the game, striking out six Kansas batters and allowing only one walk.

She pitched out of four bases-loaded jams in the game, including three with only one out. In all, the Jayhawks (13-5) left 14 runners on base during the seven-inning contest.

"Emily did a great job getting out of those jams," Rychcik said. "This was the third time Kansas had faced her, so they were getting pretty familiar with what she was going to do.

"She was getting creative out there with how she was pitching the Kansas lineup and doing a great job of it."

In the top of the fourth, Kansas loaded the bases with one out, but Davis grabbed a grounder and threw home for the force out at the plate and Weiman struck out Jayhawk pinch hitter Taylor Hatfield to end the inning with three runners stranded.

The Jayhawks loaded the bases again in the top of the sixth on a strikeout/wild pitch and two infield singles with only one out. Weiman got out of the inning with a pair of popups, one in foul territory near the Wolfpack dugout and the other to second baseman Chelsea Tate.

The Pack followed with its second game Saturday, facing North Carolina A&T.