Pack Softball Bounces Back, Takes 5-3 Win Over ECU

Wednesday, March 27

Greenville, N.C.

7:00 PM

NC State

14-14-1

East Carolina

10-21

NC State

East Carolina

Pack Softball Bounces Back, Takes 5-3 Win Over ECU

3/27/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 27, 2013

Final Stats

Pack Falls 5-2 in Opener to ECU

Box Score (Game 2)

Final Stats Game 1 | Box Score (Game 1)

GREENVILLE, N.C. –NC State freshman lefthander Chelsea Stanfield won her second game of the season and sophomore righthander Emily Weiman picked up her first career save as the Wolfpack bounced back with a 5-3 victory in the second game of its doubleheader against East Carolina.

Stanfield (2-1) pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and one walk before retiring in favor of Weiman, who came in and pitched out of a fifth-inning jam after the Pirates cut State’s lead to two runs.

“It was a good bounce-back win for us after we lost the opener,” said first-year coach Shawn Rychcik. “Chelsea gave us what we were looking for early in the game and Emily did a great job coming out of the bullpen, which is something she hasn’t done very often.

“We gave them some offense to work with early and our defense made a couple of nice plays to hold the lead.”

The Pack (14-14-1 overall), which lost the opener 5-2 to the host Pirates, took an early lead in the second game in the top of the first when junior second baseman Chelsea Tate hit a two-out single to right field and scored when senior Caitlin Dent’s single up the middle was misplayed by the East Carolina centerfielder.

The Pack is 7-0 when scoring in the first inning and 10-0 when scoring first in a game this season.

The Pirates took the lead in the bottom of the third by putting runners on second and third with no outs, thanks to a walk and a sacrifice bunt that advanced the runner to third base when freshman Lana Van Dyken’s throw to first was not in time. Jill Jelnick scored both runners on a triple to right centerfield, but Dent caught a shallow fly ball for the first out of the inning and then threw the tagging runner at third out at the plate.

It was Dent’s second outfield assist of the season.

“Dent has a great arm and she showed it on that play,” Rychcik said.

The Pack regained the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth after loading the bases for catcher Sara Lippard.

Freshman Hanna Sommer started the inning with a hot shot to third base, followed by Leah Jones’ single up the middle that extended her hitting streak to six consecutive games. Van Dyken walked to fill the bases.

Lippard, making her second start of the season behind the plate, followed with double over the leftfielder’s head that scored two runs. Shortstop Renada Davis walked to load the bases again.

After a fielder’s choice play at the plate, Tate drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field, but Davis was caught in a rundown between second and third for the third out of the inning.

The Pack added another run in the fifth on senior Bethaney Wells’ solo homer to left field, her third of the season.

State makes another quick turnaround, leaving Thursday for a three-game series in Atlanta against ACC-foe Georgia Tech. The teams will play an evening doubleheader on Friday and a 1 p.m. Follow the Pack via Twitter (@PackSoftball), on the NC State Softball Facebook page and at www.GoPack.com/softball.