Softball's Rally Comes Up Just Short

Central Connecticut State Univeristy softball put together its highest scoring inning of the season against North Carolina State Sunday, but came up just a run short of securing their first victory of the season.

GAME INFORMATION
FINAL SCORE CCSU 6 NC State 7
RECORDS CCSU (0-9, 0-0 NEC) N.C. State (14-2)
LOCATION Raleigh, NC

KEY MOMENTS

• The Blue Devils got after it early and often in Sunday's matchup. With two outs looming, CCSU hit two doubles and a single to put two runs on the board in the top of the first. Bri Walker brought Paige Stringer and Kim Howard home with a rip of a double down the left field line.
• The Wolfpack got things cooking in the bottom of the second. A butn advanced N.C. State runners into scoring position, and a single evened the score at two.
• After a three up, three down top of the third for CCSU, N.C. State took advantage of some errors in the field from CCSU to strike again. The Wolfpack led off the bottom of the third with back-to-back hit by pitches. A fielding error led to the first run of the inning for the Wolfpack, but some wild pitches and sacrifice hits gave them three more runs after that, giving N.C. State its first lead of the afternoon.
• Neither team was able to get much going in the fourth inning, though a solo shot from the Wolfpack added on yet another insurance run.
• After the first two Blue Devils recorded outs, the Blue Devils did not hang it up. Quite the opposite, in fact. Stringer, Howard and Walker each hit singles on a rope in succession, lining up Meg Dugas to sting a triple to right center and clear the bases. Molly Bruyns sent Dugas home with a single up the middle, ending CCSU's inning at four runs added, making it a 6-7 game.
• CCSU was in hot water in the bottom of the fifth, with a runner on third and one out to go. The Blue Devils put in pitcher Libby Whittaker, who easily recorded the last out on a pop up.
•  While the CCSU defense was able to hold up its end of the bargain by forcing a scoreless sixth from N.C. State, the Blue Devils were retired in both the sixth and seventh in three up, three down fashion, sealing the win for the Wolfpack.

NOTES

• Dugas led the Blue Devils with 4 RBIs on the day.
• Stringer, Howard and Walker each recorded two hits.
• The fifth inning was the Blue Devils' highest scoring inning yet this season.
• CCSU's scheduled game against Bowling Green was cancelled.

UP NEXT...

The Blue Devils travel to Louisiana next weekend to play in a weekend tournament against LSU and Troy.