| 2006 Softball Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponent (ranking/seed) | Score |
|
| April 27 | 20 Wake Forest | L 17-12 |
|
| May 3 | Ohio | ||
| May 16 | Xavier | ||
| June 2 | Purdue | W 8-0 |
|
| June 3 | 16 Duke | L 15-7 |
|
| 18 UNC | L 13-11 |
||
| June 14 | 1 Maryland | L 1-0 |
|
| June 21 | Dayton | ||
| July 10 | 12 East Carolina | ||
| July 17 | Georgia Tech | ||
| July 22 | Baylor | ||
| Texas | W
11-9 9 inn |
||
| Tulane | |||
| June 24 | 20 UConn | ||
| Aug. 1, 5-6 CAN Tournament ... State is #21 seed | |||
Aug. 1 |
44 Baylor | W 13-4 |
|
Aug. 5 |
12 James Madison | L 10-5 |
|
| 54 Georgetown | W 10-6 |
||
Aug. 6 |
5 Virginia Tech | L 13-9 |
|
Tourney Wrapup: Pack Goes 2-2
NC State entered the tournament as a 21 seed against #44 Baylor. State had a 5-run first inning and that's all they eventually needed, though an 8-run fourth inning with a lot of RBI singles wrapped it up quite nicely.
State started off well Saturday versus #12 James Madison but the bats went quiet starting in the third inning. The Pack's 5-4 lead was blown away in the bottom of the 4th inning by a six-run rally. Dukes win 10-5.
The Pack had to beat #54 Georgetown to drink
eat play another day in the loser's bracket, and they did. State
jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead and never looked back in a 10-6 win.
Sunday morning brought #5 Virginia Tech. The Hokies got an early 5-2 lead but the Pack battled back to tie the game in the top of the 6th (and final) inning. VT loaded the bases and smacked a walk-off grand slam to left center to end the Pack's tourney run, 13-9. The beer truck would not arrive for another two hours so it was somewhat difficult loss to swallow.
(In the end, Colgate successfully defended their title, beating Texas in the second championship game).
State ends the season at 12-6.
Pack Finishes Season Ranked 16th; Draws 21st Seed in League Tourney
After finishing the season strong, the Wolfpack shot
up to #16 in the coaches' poll, one spot above Orange County Community
College North Carolina. The Pack also drew the 21st overall seed in
the double-elimination league tournament (out of 60 teams), again one
spot ahead of OCCC UNC thanks to a lottery system instituted this
year..
What a difference a year makes:
2005 - 11-3, division title, 3 seed
2006 - 10-4, 5th place in division, 21 seed
State's first game is against #44 Baylor Tuesday night at Hensley Park in Alexandria. Win or lose, the Pack plays its second game Saturday at 5pm against #12 James Madison or #53 Arizona State at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Other team seedings of note (division teams in bold):
| Indiana - 1 | Duke - 3 | Maryland - 7 | Wake - 8 |
| ECU - 17 | UNC - 22 | UConn - 26 | Texas - 28 |
| Ohio - 33 | Penn St. - 36 |
#17 Wolfpack Caps Season with 24-5 Rout of #24 UConn
The resident sportswriter was off getting some culture and missed the twice-rescheduled UConn game, but from looking at the score it seems he didn't miss much except for a few at-bats.
State ended the regular season with a 24-5 smackdown of #24 UConn. So there.
Green Wave Surges Early, But Pack Sandbags Winless Tulane, 19-9
The Saturday tripleheader looked like it would end on an easy note against 0-a lot Tulane. Coach Ed even benched himself for the early going. Overconfident? Maybe.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| Tulane | 6 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
9 |
| NC State 24 | 2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
- |
19 |
Tulane scored 6 runs on bloop hits and bad Wolfpack throws int he top of the first inning. The Pack trailed for the first three inning, but stayed within striking distance. The Green Wave rolled back from the shore and State pounced. Back-to-back four-run innings (and defensive shutouts) put the Wave back out to sea and State cruised to a 19-9 win.
Pack Goes the Distance (and Then Some) to Hook the 'Horns, 11-9
After batting practice against Baylor (yeah, that's a little cold, but come on... 26 runs in five innings!) the Pack went up against a more formidable Texas Longhorns squad, but early on it seemed like the Pack used up their bats way too soon in a Saturday tripleheader.
Texas jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead while State struggled. The Pack bats came alive int he top of the 4th. Jeffery "Jersey" Taylor started things off with a triple, and Ed "Holstein" Taylor drove home his big bro' with a RBI double. Bruce "Brahma Bull" Baldwin singled, then Janet "Ribeye" Snider (what, did you really think I would call our ladies cows?) doubled home Ed, Matt "Moo Cow"
| Box Score | ||||||||||
| NC State 24 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
11 |
| Texas | 3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
McMahon doubled home Bruce and Brian "How Now Brown Cow" Copeland sac flied to right center to score Janet. State takes a 4-3 lead, but the Longhorns come right back with a two-run smash to right center.
In the top of the 5th, Bruce singled home Phil to tie the game at 5 all. Texas scored two in the bottom of the 6th, but the Pack answered with three in the top of the 7th. Phil singled, Jeffery doubled, Ed sac flied to score Phil, Jeffery scored on Bruce's RBI triple and Janet doubled to score Bruce to put the Pack out to a thin 8-7 lead. But the 'Horns wouldn't go away, scoring one int he bottom of the 7th to force extra innings.
Neither team scored in the 8th, but the Pack found three more runs int he top of the 9th. Jeffery singled, Ed flied out, Bruce singled and Janet flied out. Did someone order a 2-out rally? Matt made up for being burned on that 4th inning homerun to drive home Jeffery as the go ahead run. Tom "Wagyu" Womble hit an RBI single that scored Bruce and Matt to seal the win. Texas mustered one more run, but the Pack defense held them off for the 11-9 win.
#23 Wolfpack Blasts Baylor 26-5
This one was over real quick.
The game was in the bag before the first out.
The Pack almost batted around twice in the top of the 1st inning.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 24 | 13 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
- |
- |
26 |
| Baylor | 4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
5 |
Call it what you will: a rout, a whitewash, a skunking. It was a 13-run first inning, the opening act in a 26-5 Wolfpack win over the Baylor Bears.
A hit-by-hit recount would be gauche... besides, it would take forever to type up. Everybody in the lineup got a hit. The game was called after 5 innings.
#23 Wolfpack Stings Yellow Jackets Early in 17-7 Win
State had just defeated its first ranked opponent of
the season (#12 EZU ECU and was eager to keep the win streak alive
against an out-of-division Georgia Tech squad. The Techies brought a pathetic-looking
flagpole (at least compared to the brilliantly engineered – and
taller – State flagpole) and a collapsible bat rack. Unfortunately,
they didn't bring too many big bats.
The Jackets posted one run on three hits, but the Pack would show them what a real offense looked like. Phil Blalock popped aleadoff single, followed by a walk from rookie Chip Dudley. Ed Taylor hit an RBI double to score Phil, and Michael Brown hit an RBI double to score Chip and Ed. Janet Snyder unloaded an RBI triple to score Michael, and Bruce brought Janet home with an RBI single. Marc Duncan singled and Matt McMahon walked before the Pack (who played this game one short of the required 3 gals needed) hit the empty spot in the lineup. Phil came back and hit an RBI single to score Bruce and Marc. Just like that, it was a 7-1 State lead.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
| NC State 24 | 7 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
- |
17 |
The Jackets weren't about to become the Sputterin'
Ramblin' Wreck ... yet. The scored 2 runs to make it 7-3, but the Pack
answered with runs from Ed and Michael to make it 9-3 and that's all the
Red and White needed.
But wait... there's more!
Matt singled in the 5th inning and the Pack put on a ferocious 2-out base-hit rally. Greg Marlow walked before Chip scored Matt on an RBI single. Greg scored on Ed's RBI single... then Chip scored on Tom Womble's RBI single ... then Ed scored on Janet's ... yep, RBI single ... Brian Copeland got a wee bit greedy and drove home Tom and Janet, leaving Alex Storey to single for naught. (Thanks Brian!)
Tech put up three late runs, but the Wreck had broken down. The Pack neededs only two of its awesome women to win, 17-7.
ARRR! #24 Pack Sinks #12 East Carolina, 15-8
The 24th-ranked Wolfpack faced a challenge in the #12 Pirates. The Pack needed a win to stay i the top half of the division ... and didn't want to make it 0-4 against NC teams.
Unlike the Dayton game, the Wolfpack came out swinging early. Phil "Blackbeard" Blalock hit a leadoff single, only to be put out on a fielder's choice by Jeffery "Jean Lafitte" Taylor. Ed "Capt. Bligh" Taylor singled, then Michael "Barbary Pirate" Brown drove Jeffery home with an RBI single. Kat "Anne Bonny" Ross singled home Ed to make it an early 2-run lead. The Pirates posted one run, but couldn't escape the long arm of Michael, who threw out a Pirate baserunner at home to end the inning.
The bats kept humming in the second inning. After Robin "Mary Read" Spoljaric flied out to left, Tom "Bluebeard" Womble singled to right. Katie "But I wanted to be Anne Bonny!" Hillery flied out to short and Phil legged out a single. Jeffery blasted an RBI triple to right center, scoring Tom and Phil. Ed drove his older brother home with a two-run homer to right to push the Pack ahead 6-1.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 24 | 2 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
15 |
| East Carolina 12 | 1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
8 |
Neither the Pack nor the Pirates produced much in the next three at-bats, but State started cranking them out again in the top of the 4th to take control of the game. Katie started things off with a double and scored on an RBI double by Phil. Jeffery doubled, then Ed sac flied to left center to score Phil, and Michael sac flied to right center to score Jeffery and make it 9-1 Wolfpack. The Pirates got a few hits but one anxious baserunner bolted from third too early, trading an easy tag-up run for a third out.
The Pack kept rolling in the 5th. Robin pinged a lead-off single but was out at second on a fielder's choice single from Greg "Brownbeard" Marlow. Katie popped a single and Phil moved everybody around one base with a fly-out to right center. Jeffery singled home Greg and Ed drove home Katie with an RBI triple. Lee "No-Beard" Knight didn't have the wheels to beat out the throw to first, but it was enough to get Jeffery home to make it 12-1 Wolfpack.
The Pirates scored 3 in their next two at-bats, but the game was pretty much in hand. Kat scored in the 6th and Jeffery and Ed added two runs in the 7th to sink the Pirates, 15-8.
#24 Wolfpack Takes Its Sweet Time in Downing Dayton Flyers, 9-2
A shell-shocked Wolfpack had to take a little time off. Losing to Duke AND Carolina was jarring to say the least, so the Pack forfeited to #1 Maryland. (That 1-0 score definitely put a dent in the turtle's average margin of victory.)
The FlipCup division proved to be a hard one, and the worst had come and gone. Time to start winning if there was any hope of salvaging the season. The Pack did, but it took a while.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 24 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
9 |
| Xavier | 1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
State went up against 2-6 Dayton on a soggy, uphill patch of land by the Washington Monument. The game was looking uphill for State in the early going. The Flyers posted a run in the bottom of thje first while the Red and White foundered on offense. Bruce "Swamp Thing" Baldwin did pick up a strikeout in the second as the Flyers went down 1-2-3. It was a defensive struggle in the 4th inning when Michael "Dihydrogen Monoxide" Brown smacked a solo home run to left field.
After holding the Flyers in the bottom of the 4th, The
Wolfpack bats finally got going. "Squishy" Jeffery Taylor started
things off with a double, then Kat "Splash" Ross drew a walk.
Cameron, called up from the squad's bush league team, reached first on
a fielder's choice that caught Jeffery at third. Jorge "Puddle"
Franchi singled home Kat from second, and Bruce singled to right. Coach
Ed "Mudpie" Taylor sac filed deeep to right field, but throwing
errors inaccuracies made it a 3RBI shot, scoring Cameron, Jorge
and Bruce. State leads 5-1.
The State defense kept the Flyers grounded. A deep shot to left caught a breeze, and it looked like Michael might miss it, but he recovered and made the catch... right above a little boy's head. Get an out, save a kid's life - how's that for heartwarming? Bruce also notched his second strikeout on a called strike 3. (Sadly, there's no HTML entity for a backwards 'K' so just use your imagination.)
Tom "Washout" Womble singled and Jeffery walked before Kat drove them both home on a sharp double past shortstop. Kat later scored to make it 8-1 Pack.
State put together a little 2-out rally in the top of the 7th. "Mushy" Marc Duncan singled and Tom Drew a walk before Jeffery singled Mark home to make it 9-1. Dayton posted one run but it was too little, too late. State gets back to .500 in a 9-2 win.
#13 Wolfpack Overpowers Xavier 14-8
NC State got a nice rest before taking on division foe Xavier. They also slid three spots in the coaches poll during the off week, but the Pack showed everybody they still had it.
State batted first and wasted no time scoring. Brian Copeland drew a leadoff walk and later scored on an RBI triple by Jeffery Taylor. Coach Ed taylor sc flied out to right field, scoring his older brother. Last season's co-rookie of the year Michael Johnson and Janet Snyder both singled while multi-sport phenom Dean Duhon brought them both home with an RBI double. The Musketeers were short on artillery, managing only one hit. State leads 4-0 after 1.
| Box Score | ||||||||
| NC State 13 | 4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
14 |
| Xavier | 0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
8 |
The Pack struggled in the second inning with only Kat Ross reaching on a single. Xavier scored a run before Ed turned a nice 6-3 double play. 4-1 State. The third was a lot like the second. Brian reached on a single, but that was it. Xavier scored a run on three hits, with Bruce Baldwin picking up his first strikeout of the season. 4-2 Pack after 3.
The State offense showed a little more life in the fourth. Ed drew a walk then legged out a run on a double by Bruce. Dean smacked another double to score Bruce. Xavier added one run to make it a 6-3 game.
Fifth inning and the Pack starts heating up. Kat singles and Katie Hillery reached first on a fielder's choice. Mark Duncan kept it going with a seeing-eye grounder between first and second base. Greg Marlow popped an RBI triple to right field, scoring Katie and Mark. Brian singled home Greg to move the Pack out to a 9-3 lead.
After the Musketeers went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Statre kept the hits coming. Michael smacked a solo home run to right center, impressive considering it was uphill. Janet and Dean singled and scored on a stumbling RBI double from Robin Spoljaric. The author, who was coaching first base at the time, still has no idea what she tripped over, but she staggered all the way to second and flopped down. Tom Womble hit a double to score Robin and increase State's lead to 10 runs, 13-3. The Musketeers put together a few hits and scored one run, while Tom picked up a K pitching in relief. 13-4 Pack.
State only mustered one run in the topof the seventh, with Greg scoring on a sac fly by Jeffery. Xaviers bats finally got going, bese-hitting one run in before smacking a three-run homer deep into left field, but it was too little too late. NC State wins 14-8.
The win ups the Pack's record at 2-1, still in the thick of the Flip Cup division race. Their next game against Purdue (1-4) June 2.
Ball Bounces Deacs' Way as #5 Wolfpack Lose 17-12
NC State's season got off to a rough start against #20 Wake Forest. The balls went just about everywhere except into Wolfpack gloves, and the Demon Deacons put away the 5th-ranked Pack 17-12. The only highlight was a three-run homer to right-center field by rookie Jorge Franchi to help spark a rally, but it was too little too late.
The loss dropped the Pack to #10 in the coaches' poll. State's next game is Wednesday against Ohio (1-1).