Pack Splits Opening Day With Michigan, Illinois State

Friday, February 8

Tampa, Fla.

10 AM

NC State

0-1

#19/14 Michigan

1-0

NC State

Michigan

Pack Splits Opening Day With Michigan, Illinois State

2/8/2019 5:12:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

TAMPA, Fla. – The NC State softball team (1-1) opened its season on Friday at the USF Softball Stadium in the USF Opening Weekend Invitational in Tampa, Fla., splitting its pair of games with No. 19 Michigan and Illinois State.

The Wolfpack narrowly fell to the Wolverines, 4-3, in game one, and edged out the Red Birds, 10-9, in its second game of the day. All 16 players on the roster saw time between the two games, as seven made their debut in red and white.

Of Note (Game One)
-Logan Morris, Skylar Johnston, Angie Rizzi and Natalie Jones all went 1-for-3, as Morris belted the team's first home run of the season.
-Morris (1) and Rizzi (2) brought the Pack's three runs across.
-Freshman pitcher Sydney Nester threw the first four innings of the game, giving up three runs on as many hits. Kama Woodall ultimately was credited with the loss after putting the game-winning run on base in the fifth.

How It Happened (Game One)
-Michigan struck first in the third inning with Madison Uden's single to center field in a bases loaded, no outs situation.
-The Pack answered in the top of the fourth with Morris' leadoff home run, followed by Rizzi's 2-RBI single to third after Skylar Johnston and April Visser reached on a base hit and error.
-The Wolverines knotted the game at three in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out, when Haley Hoogenraad brought a pair of runs across with a single to center field.
-A hit-by-pitch with pinch hitter Alex Sobczak at the plate and the bases still loaded scored the game-winning run.

Of Note (Game Two)
-Brigette Nordberg and Visser both went 2-for-3 at the plate, as each hit a home run in the contest and tallied three RBI apiece.
-Six other players tallied a hit in the team's combined 10 from the game. Including the pair of home runs, six of the 10 were extra-base hits.
-Nester picked up the win in the circle, relieving starter Devin Wallace and throwing 2.2 effective innings, not allowing a hit and striking out six.

How It Happened (Game Two)
-NC State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to Nordberg's two-run homer to center field and Jones' RBI double to left center.
-A bases-loaded walk by Brittni LaFountaine in the second allowed Illinois State to get on the board.
-Nordberg's single to center field in the second brought across another run after Sam Russ' leadoff triple to left center.
-After putting herself in scoring position, Visser stole third and scored on the throw to give NC State a four-run advantage in the third inning.
-In the fourth the Pack scored five runs on three hits, highlighted by Visser's three-run blast to left field.
-The Red Birds responded with five runs of their own in the fifth on Andrea Coursey's RBI single to right field and Alyssa Wiebel's grand slam to left field.
-Illinois State cut its deficit to two in the sixth on Wiebel's two-run triple to right center. The squad tried to rally in the seventh as Kadi Borries scored on a wild pitch, but came up short.

On Deck
NC State will face South Florida Saturday at 8:15 p.m. at the USF Softball Stadium.