| 2005 Softball Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponent (ranking/seed) | Score | |
| April 11 | Georgia Tech | ||
| May 2 | Virginia Tech 5 | ||
| May 9 | Boston College | ||
| May 16 | Carnegie Mellon | ||
| May 23 | George Mason | ||
| June 4 | UConn 18 | ||
| Penn State | |||
| June 20 | Ohio 12 | ||
| June 25 | UNC 9 | ||
| Wake Forest 14 | |||
| Duke | |||
| July 8 | East Carolina | ||
| July 18 | Clemson | L
8-6 9inn |
|
| July 25 | Texas | ||
| Aug.
12-14 CAN Tournament (NC State is top seed in NC State bracket, #3 overall) |
|||
first round |
bye | ||
second round |
30 Notre Dame | W 16-0 |
|
third round |
14 Indiana | W 12-7 |
|
quarterfinals |
27 Michigan | W 10-9 9inn |
|
semifinals |
2 James Madison | W 8-2 |
|
winner's bracket final |
25 Colgate | L 11-2 |
|
loser's bracket final |
4 Va. Tech | L 14-5 |
|
2005 Tourney Recap
#3 Wolfpack Trounces Notre Dame 16-0
The third-seeded Wolfpack got down to business in the second round of the CAN tournament against #30 Notre Dame on Friday. Remember the 2003 Gator Bowl? Well it was worse than that for the Domers. The mercy rule kicked in in the middle of the fifth, giving the Pack a 16-0 win.
| Box Score | |||||||
| Notre Dame 30 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| NC State 3 | 6 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
x |
16 |
|
After holding the Irish to one hit, the Wolfpack offense faced an erratic ND pitcher in the bottom of the first. Brothers Jeffery and Ed Taylor each drew walks before Will Lawrence drove them home on a three-run homer down the right field line. Janet Snyder legged out a double as a sharp grounder went right through the first basemen's legs (the "five hole" for you hockey aficionados). Jeremy Howell hit a single and Caroline Kao picked up a walk. Brian Copeland drew a walk, and Amy Johnson also got a walk (and an RWI - run walked in) since it was two outs and she's, well, a she. Phil Blalock made up for his leadoff groundout with an RBI single to score Caroline to make is 6-0 Wolfpack.
The Irish went down 1-2-3 in the top of the second, saving pitcher Bruce Baldwin's arm a lot of strain. The offense kept going though. Will popped a double and Janet drew a walk before Jeremy drove Will home with an RBI single. The Irish changed pitchers at this point but it didn't help much. Caroline singled, then Brian drew a walk with two out, and Amy picked up another RWI to make it 9-0 State.
In the top of the third, Notre Dame's offense racked up two hits and stranded a runner at second, and that's the best they did all evening. The State offense didn't do much either, save for a solo home run by Ed into right field. 10-0 Wolfpack.
The Irish went down 1-2-3 in the he fourth, with Ed making what he later admitted was a harder-than-necessary over-the-shoulder catch on a fly ball. Oh yeah, the Pack swung the bats too. Michael Brown came off the bench to smack a triple. He scores on a single by Bruce. Amy walked (no RWI this time), Phil singled and Jeffery walked before Ed drove them all home with an RBI triple. Will drove home Ed on a smashing triple to right center, but last season's rookie of the year stumbled in the tall grass, depriving himself of an easy home run. (Maybe if he had been wearing those lovely striped pants form last year.) Janet singled in Will to make it 16-0 Pack.
The Domers only got one hit in top of the fifth, and the mercy rule (down 10+ runs after 5 innings) took effect. The Pack walks away with a 16-0 shellacking of the Irish.
The victory guarantees the Wolfpack will make it to Sunday, one of the team's goals every season. (One more day to drink beer!) The Pack's next opponent is #14 Indiana late Saturday afternoon in the Sweet 16 of the winner's bracket.
State Tops #14 Indiana, 12-7
The Pack's lone game on Saturday was against #14 Indiana and didn't waste time. After holding the Hoosiers to one hit in the first inning (and a nice throw from Will in left field to pick off a runner at third) the Pack put up three quick runs. Jeffery reached on a walk and Ed followed with a single, then Will drove them both home on a huge triple. Janet drove home Will with an RBI single to make it 3-0 Wolfpack.
| Box Score | |||||||
| Indiana 14 | 0 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
| NC State 3 | 3 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
- |
12 |
|
The Hoosiers answered with four runs, including a solo home run over the left field fence. The Pack only mustered one hit and trailed 4-3 after two innings. Indiana kept coming, scoring three runs in the top of the third to make it a 7-3 lead. But the Wolfpack wasn't done yet. Jeffery reached on a double and Will legged out a RBI single. Janet scored Will on a single, then Jeremy scored Janet on a double, then Bruce scored Jeremy on a single, and Brian scored Bruce on another single. Just like that, the Pack takes an 8-7 lead.
The Indiana offense struggled after that, going down 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth innings. The Pack put up four more runs in the bottom of the fourth to put the icing on the cake in a 12-7 victory.
Wolfpack Rallies Late to Beat Michigan
The Wolfpack made it to Sunday still in the winner's bracket but faced a stiff challenge. Notwithstanding the fact that 27-seed Michigan is a strong-hitting team, NC State has a history of struggling on Sunday morning, losing that first game with sobering regularity.
Early on, it looked like the team would lay another egg. Neither offense looked particularly good, but the Wolverines led 2-0 after four quick innings. Michigan posted four runs in the top of the fifth. Amy drew a lead-off walk while Jeffery and Ed both hit singles. Will drove Amy and Jeffery home with an RBI double, and Ed scored on a single by Michael to make it 6-3 Michigan.
| Box Score | ||||||||||
| Michigan 27 | 1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
9 |
|
| NC State 3 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
10 |
|
Neither team scored in the sixth, but Michigan put up two more runs in the top of the seventh with a hard-hit home run to right field to make it 8-3. But the Pack didn't want eggs this morning...
NC State noticed that the Michigan pitcher was OK but not great and couldn't throw strikes consistently, so Ed told everybody to sit back and wait until they see a pitch they like. Phil drew a lead-off walk. Jeffery hit a double and Ed singled before Will drew a walk to score Amy. Janet found the pitch she liked and smacked hard into the right field gap for an RBI triple. Michael came to the plate as the winning run, and singled home Janet. Amy hit a single while Jeffery took a walk. Michael advanced to third. With two outs and the bases loaded, Phil sat back to see if he could walk in the winning run...
Ball.....
Strike...
Ball.....
Strike.
Extra innings. Since the tourney games have a 50-minute time limit, extra innings are played under the one-pitch rule. Instead of the standard 1-1 count, the batter comes to the plate with a 3-2 count. A ball is a walk, a strike is an out. Not a good time to have a weak pitcher.
Michigan scored one run, but their pitcher was their undoing. Jeffery took a leadoff walk, then Ed cracked a double into left and Will brought them both home on a blistering triple. State wins a close one 10-9.
#3 Shuts Down #2: Pack Tops JMU 8-2
After squeaking past Michigan and winning its' bracket, NC State had a date with with second-seed James Madison. The Dukes are known for their strong hitting and incredibly aggressive base running and they clobbered the Pack in the 2003 season opener. On paper they're a tough team, but it didn't look that way on the field.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 3 | 2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
| James Madison 2 | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
The Wolfpack got off to a good start. Phil and Jeffery started things off with singles before Will hit an RBI single to score Phil. Jeffery scored on a single by Janet to make it 2-0 Wolfpack. JMU answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. After that, it got a little dull. Both teams were scoreless in the second and third innings. State chipped away at the JMU defense in the fourth, with base hits from Janet, Brian and Caroline and an RBI triple from Will to score all three. The Dukes just couldn't get anything going, with only four hits in the final three innings. The Pack won going away, 8-2.
Will got a cut lip while diving for a ball in foul territory, but he wasn't that pretty to begin with.
Colgate Flosses Pack 12-2
Then it was on to the winner's bracket final against #25 Colgate. The Pack had met them in the tournament before and it wasn't pretty. Last year, State crushed them in the winner's bracket semis only to wind up getting crushed in return in the loser's bracket final. Colgate would have none of that this year.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| Colgate 25 | 5 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
11 |
|
| NC State 3 | 0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
The Red Raiders took the Wolfpack apart with solid pitching and a batter with a penchant for knocking them out of the park. Colgate ran up a quick 9 run lead before the Pack could even get a whiff of a run. State scored only two runs in a game full of fly-outs. Colgate advanced to the title game with a 11-2 shellacking.
Hokies Send State Packing
Just like last year, the
| Box Score | |||||||||
| Va. Tech 4 | 1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
14 |
|
| NC State 3 | 0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
The Wolfpack end the season with its second straight 3rd place finish out of a field of 54 teams. Third seed finishing third... at least there's some symmetry.
#3 Wolfpack Bats Heat Up in 23-9 Victory Over Texas; State Wins Division
The third-ranked alumni softball team had little trouble in its final regular-season game against Texas. The high-powered offense missing in the last few games reappeared to hook the 'Horns in a 23-9 win. The Pack finished with an 11-3 record and appeared to be good enough for a top 10 seed and a first-round bye in the tournament.
If you see an Ohio alum, thank them. The Wildcats defeated Wake Forest 6-5 Tuesday night, putting Wake and State in a tie for first place in the division. Since State beat Wake earlier this year, the Wolfpack wins its third division title. (Inside sources say that if Wake had won, NC State would have been the #2 seed in a bracket named for the #1 seed, which would have been Maryland. And that would just be wrong on so many levels.)
State Offense Rallies Late Against Clemson But Falls Short in Extra Innings, 8-6
The second-ranked Wolfpack had one last chance to wrap up the division title on Monday against Clemson, but it didn't happen.
Clemson set the tone earth with back-to-
| Box Score | ||||||||||
| Clemson | 3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
| NC State 2 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
The Pack had its back againsty the wall in the bottom of the seventh, and the bats suddenly came alive. Alex Storey started things off with a single off the end of his bat. Claire Hackney followed with another single, then Jeffery Taylor drove home Alex with an RBI single. Phil Blalock hit an RBI single to score Claire, then Ed Taylor popped a double to right field to score Jeffery and Phil. Jeremy Howell hit a single to score Ed, then Michael Brown got on base with a single. Greg Marlow drove Michael home on a single. Just like that, the Pack tied it up at 6 all, but the rally died on a technicality. Janet Snyder left in the top of the inning, which left a hole in the lineup and was an automatic out. Her spot came up as the third out, and the game went into extra innings.
Nobody scored in the eighth inning, but Clemson eeked out two runs in the top of the ninth. The Pack got Tom Womble and Claire on base but couldn't drive them home. Clemson wins 8-6, knocking the Pack out of the division title race.
While the coaches poll still rates the Pack as a top squad (after the loss they slipped from second to third, just one point behind #2 Virginia Tech) but it's little consolation for a hard loss that cost the Pack a first round bye. The regular season ends Monday against Texas.
State Defense Falters as #2 Wolfpack Upset by ECU, 18-14
The second-ranked Wolfpack had a chance to wrap up the division title on Friday against 6-4 East Carolina, but it didn't happen. The Pack took a very brief one-run lead before the Pirates poured on 6 runs in the bottom of the second to lead 8-3. The State offense struggled to get out of the hole in the middle innings as ECU
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 2 | 2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
14 |
| ECU | 2 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
– |
18 |
"You're not going to give up 18 runs and pull out a win in this league," said Coach Ed Taylor during his weekly-call in radio show. "But as a good friend of mine used to say, 'This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.' ..." at which point the host switched off Ed's microphone and cut to a commercial. He'd seen that movie too.
But the loss didn't seem to hurt the Pack in the polls, as NC State remained at #2, though with only one first-place vote instead of three from the week before. The 10-2 Pack's final division game is Monday against 6-4 Clemson.
#2 Wolfpack Claims 'Big 4' Alumni Softball Title in Weekend Tripleheader Sweep
The Orange County Community Coll... uh, North Carolina softball squad had June 25th circled on their calendars since the spring. They were 1-for-too-many versus their cow-college cousins (the only win being in the league's double-elimination tournament, but the Pack exacted its revenge in the loser's bracket). Even if past performance is not indicative of future results, they should have just put an X through it.
The second-ranked Wolfpack started off an ACC tripleheader Saturday with a 13-5 win over the 9th-ranked Tar Heels. The Pack found itself in a back-and-forth battle with #14 Wake Forest but prevailed 16-14 and solidified its top spot in the division. State finished off the afternoon with a 15-5 win over Duke, making them the first team to record 10 wins this season.
#2 Wolfpack Rallies Past #12 Ohio, 8-7
The patch of grass at the corner of 15th and Constitution has an excellent view of the Washington Monument. But it was also the scene of an early - and wrenching - loss to Boston College. Is this scenic spot cursed? The second-ranked Wolfpack certainly hoped it wasn't as they faced #12 Ohio in a division showdown with first place on the line.
Nobody knows what the Park Service is using on the grass, but it has been growing like mad this year. High grass means grounders die fast, fielders move slow and bloop shots can vanish like Vanilla Ice's career. All that adds up to a low-scoring defensive struggle. And that's just what we got.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| Ohio 12 | 0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
| NC State 2 | 0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
The Bobcats started things off by going 1-2-3. So did the Wolfpack, and the first inning ended 0-0. Ohio picked up two runs in he second on a few hits, and the Pack answered with a two-run homer by Jeremy "Photo Finish" Howell.
Both teams went scoreless in the third as Billy "Barnburner" Parker kept the 'Cats off balance. Ohio scored one in the top of the fourth, but Jeremy finished the inning in style, making a catch while falling over backwards in left center. Billy helped his own cause by smacking an RBI double to score Ed "Eeeked Out" Taylor and Michael "By a Hair" Brown. The shot to left was a can of corn, but a conveniently situated tree branch obscured the outfielder's view. The ball went through the leaves and bounced off his glove. On any other field, that's an easy out, but this is "Mall Ball" and weird obstructions are part of the game, so it was called a ground-rule double. The lucky shot put the Pack up 4-3.
Tom "By a Whisker" Womble pitched in relief in the fifth, shutting down the 'Cats. Jeremy scored Ed and Jeffery "Juuuuust That Close" Taylor on an RBI double to make it 6-3 after 5. Ohio picked up a few hits but stranded three runners in the top of the sixth. The Pack went down pretty quickly too.
Things got ugly in a hurry in he top of the seventh. Ohio singled their way to one run, then sent a three-run homer way over Michael's head in right field. The Bobcats had a slim 7-6 lead, but the Pack still had something left in the tank. Jeffery drew a walk then Ed hit a single. Then Robin "Squeaker" Spoljaric stepped to the plate. She smacked one down the third base line, beating out an infielder who apparently thought she'd hit it soft. It goes down in the books as a game-winning RBI double but we all know she had the wheels to amke it a home run. The Pack comes back to win 8-7.
The victory put the Wolfpack one game ahead of its next opponent, the evil smurf-blue minions of North Carolina, and 1.5 games ahead of Wake Forest in the division. The Pack will play both of them - and Duke too - in a tripleheader this Saturday.
Game notes: The Pack's 8 runs were the fewest scored since a 7-6 tall-grass loss to Maryland last season. ... State is riding a 5-game winning streak. ... The squad moved up to 2nd in the coaches poll before this game, back to where they were the first week of the season.
#4 Wolfpack Snatches Last Milk-Bone from #18 Huskies, Trees Nittany Lions in Weekend Doubleheader
A doubleheader on a warm and muggy day is excellent training for the alumni softball tournament, and if these games were any indication, the NC State squad will do quite well come August.
The fourth-ranked Wolfpack's first opponent was #18 UConn. You'd think the defending NCAA men's basketball champs might be a little miffed about getting bounced from the tourney a few months back...
^^ remember this? ^^
... but if they were, they didn't show it. They just brought their bats to settle it on the field. Come to think of it, this game ended a lot like that one.
State got off to a good start. Brian "Ribbie" Copeland drew a walk and scored on an RBI double by Jeffery "Can o' Corn" Taylor, and he scored on an RBI single by his younger brother, Wolfpack head coach "Mister" Ed Taylor. Janet "Not 'The Greek' " Snyder got on base with a single and "Howlin'" Jeremy Howell brought her home on an RBI triple to make it 3-0 Wolfpack. UConn answered quickly, smacking a inside pitch from Billy "The Rocket" Parker into left field for a three-run homer. The Huskies later tacked on another run to take a 4-3 lead.
State answered with a torrent of offense in the top of the second. Billy got a lead-off single, and Laura "Bean Ball" Hill refused to get taken in by the
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 4 | 3 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
13 |
| UConn 18 | 4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
12 |
The offense for both teams simmered down in the next few innings. UConn scored one run in the bottom of the second, and the Pack picked one up in the top of the 4th, when Greg hit a triple and scored on another sac fly by Jeffery.
The Pack started swinging again in the top of the 5th with mixed results. Jeremy made what would charitably be described as a swinging
Hit singles... |
| "Rockin' Robin" was also a hit single in 1958 by Bobby Day, reaching #2 on the charts. Michael Jackson recorded a cover in 1972, and it also topped out at #2. |
The Huskies found their bats again in the bottom of the 5th inning, hitting lots of singles and doubles to retake the lead 10-9. Ed belted a triple to right field (surprise surprise) in the top of the 6th but it the Pack rally fizzled. UConn scored two more runs to make it a 12-9 lead after 6 innings and it seemed like this one might slip away.
So, what do you do when you're down a few runs and the bats just aren't there? Sit back and make 'em pitch to you. After two quick outs, the Pack batters dared the UConn pitcher to throw strikes. And for the most part, he didn't. Claire drew a walk, and so did veteran reliever Bruce "No Balks" Baldwin. Again, it was a two-out no-strike walk, so Robin got a walk too. Brian stepped up with ducks on the pond and batted in two runs on a single to right field. Greg didn't bite on the outside heater and also took a walk.
Now it was up to last year's rookie phenom, Will "da Thrill" Lawrence, who came up from his new home in BFE, North Carolina for the weekend. Will smacked a hard single to right field, scoring Robin and Greg to take a 13-12 lead. A deflated UConn went down in fairly short order after that, and the Wolfpack held on to win. It was perhaps the most sedate come-from-behind victory ever, but the team was feeling it on the inside...
After beating their second ranked opponent of the season, the Pack took a quick breather before facing the teeming hordes of Penn State. (No really, they show up with enough people to play a full game against themselves.) This year's game wasn't quite the slugfest last year's game was, but the Pack prevailed nonetheless.
State was once again the visiting team, and once again they started strong. Phil drew a leadoff walk, followed by a single by Jeffery and an RBI double by Ed. Will sac flied to left field to score Jeffery, and
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 4 | 5 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
| Penn State | 2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
8 |
Michael "The Cannon" Brown posted the Pack's only run in the second, hitting a single and scoring on a sac fly by Jeffery. Dean "McNair" Duhon marked his return to the lineup with a single to right center. The Pack defense held the Nittany Lions to just two hits in the 2nd inning. Will hit a single to left and scored on Janet's RBI triple in the top of the third. Brian batted in Janet to make it 8-2 Wolfpack.
The Pack bats cooled a bit in the 4th, but Laura legged out a double. Penn State picked up a run to make it 8-4. But the Pack treed the kitty cats for good in the 5th. Phil singled, Jeffery doubled and Ed singled to drive them both home. Will and Janet both singled, then Greg singled to score Will. Janet and Greg both scored on a sac fly by Billy to make it a 13-5 lead. Penn State picked up 3 in the bottom of the sixth but it was too little too late as the Pack cruised to a 13-8 win.
Afterwards, the squad enjoyed a little picnic while UConn and Penn State battled it out for pride. They must not have had much left in the tank, because it was a very boring game. Penn State won 3-1.
The win puts the 6-1 Pack in first place in their division, a half-game ahead of Carolina (6-2) and one game ahead of their next opponent, #16 Ohio (5-2).
Game notes: The Pack moved up to 3rd in the coaches poll following the games. UConn dropped out. ... Claire lived up to her nickname by getting yet another bruise, this time on her left ankle on a slightly wild pitch from Bruce.
#7 Wolfpack Outlasts George Mason 29-13
The seventh-ranked Wolfpack faced what looked like a cream puff in 1-4 George Mason. The Patriots had a hard time scraping together enough folks to play and had already forfeited one game. The Pack looked like they would be short too, but Coach Ed's desperate calls to the gals on the roster worked.
(Historical note: Unlike last week's team – named for an industrial magnate but has an anklebiter mascot – GMU actually has a decent mascot, the Patriots, mainly because its namesake was one. George Mason is known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights," so remember that the next time you plead the 5th before that congressional inquiry.)
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 7 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
7 |
6 |
4 |
29 |
| Geo. Mason |
1 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
13 |
The win puts the 4-1 Pack within a half-game of division leading UNC (6-2), while CMU drops to 1-5. NC State has a long rest before a "yankee" doubleheader on June 4 against #18 UConn and Penn State. Carolina, meanwhile, is idle for a month until they face NC State in late June.
Game notes: The team batted .681 for the game, due in no small part to a sieve-like GMU defense. ... Catcher Laura Hill got beaned on her way to first base after she drew a walk. The pitcher was throwing the smaller ladies ball to the first base coach in exchange for the regulation-sized ball when girl met ball. (With throwing like that, no wonder they lost.) Laura was a bit sore but passed a field head-trauma test:
Alex "Not a Doctor and Too Ugly to Play One on TV" Storey: "OK, fill in the blanks: 'Go to hell, __________'"
Laura: "Uh, Carolina?"
Alex: "You're fine."
Laura is expected to make a full recovery. ... The Pack went up to #4 in the coaches poll released the day after the game. A BCS-like formula dreamt up by a Terp (remember what I said about people with waaaay too much free time in this league?) has the Pack at #1.
Short-Handed Wolfpack Still Too Much for Carnegie Mellon in 17-5 Division Rout
NC State tumbled to #7 in the league coaches poll after their loss to Boston College but they were ready to get back on the win wagon against the....
(uh... hold on. Google time....
... The Tartans!!?? That's not a mascot, that's a plaid! Their animal mascot is a little Scottish terrier. Cute, yes, and plenty of comic depth there too, but hardly ferocious. Maybe I should just call them Mellonheads. There is a hard candy called Lemonheads, and a watermelon-flavored version would be pretty good. Something to fall back on if the game write-up racket ever goes sour. Right, back to the action.)
... the Anklebiters/Mellonheads of Carnegie Mellon. But the Wolfpack were
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
17 |
| CMU |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
The Pack posted three quick runs in the top of the first, while the defense held the Mellonheads scoreless and Tom "Wonka" Womble picked up his first K of the game. State went down 1-2-3 in the top of the second as the phantom player struck out. The Mellonheads found which bag had the +3 enchanted bat in it and put a run on the board to trail 3-1.
Greg "Mallo Cup" Marlow led off the third with a single to right field and Ed brought him home on a two-run shot to right center. Rookie outfielder Michael "Big League Chew" Brown, who had already dazzled the team with his wicked throwing arm, made a case for rookie of the year with a solo shot to left center. The Wolfpack defense kept the Plaids off the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Tom made a quick catch on a line drive hit right to him, but got a little excited and overthrew Brian "Chiclets" Copeland trying to pick off the runner at first. Good idea though.
Alex "Sugar Daddy" Storey led off the 4th with a single into left field. "Licorice" Laura Hill reached on a walk and Brian tapped a bloop single to right center. Greg didn't feel like running so dang fast so he jacked the ball to right field for a grand slam. Jeffery "Jelly Belly" Taylor smacked a double before younger brother Ed brought him home on an RBI triple to right. Ed reached on an RBI single by Michael to make it 12-1 Pack. CMU scored two runs in the bottom of the 4th thanks to an overthrow to first base.
The Wolfpack went down 1-2-3 in the 5th, but the Plaids didn't fare much better. Ed cracked a 3-run homer in the top of the 6th and a solo shot in the 7th to finish off the Mellonheads 17-5.
Statistically speaking, it was one of the best offensive performances for the Pack. "Even counting the hole in the lineup, we batted .595. My slide rule doesn't lie," said a beaming Ed during his post-game Corona.
The win puts the 3-1 Pack within a half-game of division leading Wake Forest while CMU drops to 3-3. The next game is Monday against 1-4 Patriots of George Mason, who at least have a much better sounding mascot.
BC Greets Future ACC Rival Wolfpack With Stinging 14-9 Defeat
ACC met ACC-to-be on Monday as #3 NC State took on Boston College. The two teams met for the first time last season and the Pack weathered an Eagles surge to escape with a 1-run victory. Of course, past performance does not guarantee future results, be it CAN softball or those speculative gold futures hawked on late-night infomercials. That Vegas Odds guy predicted an NC State blowout.
Vegas was wrong. Again.
NC State got out to an early lead but two big surges by the BC offense were just too much as the Eagles dropped the Pack 14-9.
After holding the Eagles
| Box Score | ||||||||
| BC. | 0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
14 |
| NC State 3 | 2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
NC State's bats were quiet in the second, but BC suddenly came a alive. A single here, a throwing error there and before you know it the Eagles put up 8 runs, eerily reminiscent of last year's surge. But the Pack started chipping away. Ed singled in the bottom of the third to bring home Phil and Alex Storey to make it 8-4 BC. The Eagles went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 4th, and the Pack capitalized with strong hits by Nate Carrol, Greg Marlow and an RBI double by Jeremy to make it 8-6.
The Eagles picked up one run in the 5th but the Pack got themselves back in the game. Phil and Jeffrey led off with singles and another sac fly by Ed scored Phil from second. Jeremy picked up a walk and Caroline Kao sac flied to right before Nate belted a RBI single to tie the score at 9.
Both teams were scoreless in the 6th, but BC put together another surge in the top of the 7th. The Eagles hit 'em where they weren't – and the Pack sometimes threw the ball where they weren't either – to score 5 runs. The Pack had no wind in its sails after that and suffered its first defeat of the season 14-9.
The team was dejected – Coach Ed's post-game press conference was nothing but 10 minutes of silent, morose head shaking – but a loss can ease the burden that comes with a growing unbeaten streak. The 2-1 Pack looks to get back to its winning ways Monday against 3-2 Carnegie Mellon.
#3 Wolfpack Deep Fries, Gobbles Up
#5 Va Tech 25-10
Monday's ACC clash between #3 NC State and #5 Virginia Tech had the makings of a classic game. Two perennial powers. Both ranked in the top 5. One a former league champion. Some guy known only on the CAN message boards as Vegas Odds (who as waaaay too much free time) put the line at VT -2.5.
Vegas was wrong. Dead wrong.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 3 | 12 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
25 |
| VA Tech 5 | 4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
Offense came from all over. Brian "Big Bat" Copeland and Jeffery "Fingers" Taylor drove in several runs in the second inning. Coach Ed "Right Field" Taylor used and abused the Hokie outfielders with his opposite-field hitting. Everybody knows he's gonna do it, but he still beats 'em.
Rookie big man Nate "Christmas" Carrol made an impression as a terror on and off the field. Hokies cowered when the 6'3" 275lb outfielder ran the bases ("It's like having a Frigidaire charging at you," said one diminutive infielder). The big guy even took on the Wake Forest contingent in flip-cup single handedly after the game. "Wow!" said flip-cup team captain Amber "Cups of Beer" Hoffman from her spring training facility in the Caymans. "I was just gonna keep him around as a bodyguard but I'll definitely put him in the rotation now."
Tom "Weeble" Womble pitched his first complete game for the Pack. His deadly aim wavered a bit in the later innings, but he made some great stops to keep the Hokies in check.
The Wolfpack went to half swings and jogged the based to be sporting about it in the last two at-bats. The Hokies racked up four runs in the bottom of the 7th but it was too little too late.
Coach Ed spared no idiom to keep the team focused. "The coaches poll doesn't mean anything to us. We're in this thing to win a championship. We had last night to celebrate, but now it's time to get back to work. Gotta keep chopping that wood gang. We've got a big bulls eye on our back right now, being one of only 10 remaining undefeated teams. Leave your egos at the door, pick up your lunch pail and lets get to work." He went on for another half hour, but the press corps fell asleep.
The Pack's next game is Monday against ACC newbie Boston College (2-2).
Game Notes: The win evened the series at 1-1. (VT won 16-9 in 2002.) NC State is now 7-5 against ranked opponents. Tom's ERA is somewhere in the high single digits after Monday's complete game.
Injury Report: Jeffery jammed a finger while chasing down a foul ball in the late innings. He will recover but his lifelong dream of being a hand model has gone down the tubes. Nate ran over the team's flag pole after scoring in the top of the third. A length of Schedule 40 PVC water pipe will be called up from Home Depot to replace it.
Wolfpack Opens Season With 12-7 Victory Over Georgia Tech
NC State's 2004 season might have had an agonizing ending, but the 2005 campaign got off to a solid start. The Wolfpack was ranked third in the preseason coaches' poll (which is exactly how they finished in the '04 tournament) and made sure they'd stay there with a 12-7 win over division rival Georgia Tech.
The squad had a new look this year. Veteran coach Ed "Buttermaker" Taylor moved from shortstop to right field as he continues to recover from rotator cuff surgery and a botched yankee-accent transplant during the off season. "Ah told 'em it whadn't gonna work, y'all," he beamed during his pre-game question-and-answer session. A good turnout of players also meant that the Wolfpack could bat more than 10 people in the lineup for the first time ever, making life easier for three-time All-Thumbs Alex "Butterfingers" Storey, who is a decent hitter but couldn't catch a cold at third base, let alone a ground ball.
This year's rookie class has promise. Will "da Thrill" Lawrence, last season's rookie phenom, got a slick agent who managed to weasel him into a part-time contract this year as he relocates to eastern NC. But a new rookie-of-the-year candidate has emerged in Jeremy "clever nickname pending" Howell, who plays a lot like Will without the questionable fashion sense. Tom "Weeble" Womble joined the bullpen and pitched a good first game. (Then again, any game a pitcher can walk away from without injury is a good one.) Laura Hill also brought some much needed height to the lineup, though she admits her previous stint as a drum major was less hazardous.
...........Enough of this rookie lovefest, back to the action!
The Pack jumped out to a quick 4-0 on strong hitting by Phil "Indablanks" Blalock, alumni football star Dean "the Dream" Duhon and Penn State refugee Caroline "K.O." Kao. Tom's pitching was shaky at first but the impatient Yellow Jackets swung at practically everything. Brian "Groundball" Copeland seemed to think first base was a few yards closer than it really was. He fielded several grounders at third and made some low bullet throws to first base and, well, Greg's just too tall to pick those up. The throwing errors allowed a few Tech runners to score, but the Pack defense held firm in the late innings with strong play by Phil, Dean, Caroline and Janet "the Fuzz" Snyder in the outfield to keep Tech out of the game.
The Pack's next game is April 21 against Duke.