In the final game of the Joan Joyce Classic, Minnesota shut out NC State softball 2-0. A two-run Gophers sixth inning where both runs were unearned was enough to hand the Pack its third-consecutive loss.
The Pack (5-5) started the event with back-to-back wins and then proceeded to drop a rematch against Purdue, lose to the hosting Florida Atlantic and fail to cross home plate against Minnesota (2-7).
The scoreline makes it obvious that batting was an issue, but the Pack out-hit the Gophers 7-3. Base runners were left stranded in the most crucial moments. Seven runners were left on base and five of them were stranded in scoring position. A runner reached third base three times but nothing came of it.
Two singles rattled off in the first inning advanced junior designated hitter Hannah Church to second and freshman shortstop Kendall Simmers to third, but senior third baseman Hannah Goodwin grounded out to second to halt the momentum.
In the third, sophomore left fielder Tori Ensley reached third after she singled, reached second on a sac fly and was the beneficiary of an error. With one out on the board and a runner on third, the Pack had a prime opportunity to take the lead but squandered it with a failed bunt to the first baseman that resulted in a double play.
A ground out by Simmers in the bottom of the fifth left another runner on third while junior first baseman MaKayla Marbury made a judgment error rounding third and was caught out at home plate in the bottom of the sixth.
Junior right-handed pitcher Wynne Gore was handling the Gophers through five innings. In five innings she had three consecutive where she went three up, three down, and saw no more than four batters per three outs.
Getting a line out and foul out to start the sixth, Gore was setting herself up for another solid inning but an error by junior second baseman Teagan Thrunk was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In Gore’s next three batters faced, she hit two by pitch and gave up a single. With an unearned run scored and the bases loaded, junior right-handed pitcher Madison Inscoe came in for relief but she too committed an error resulting in another unearned run on the board for Minnesota.
With a chance to respond in the last two innings, the red-and-white mustered up three hits but not enough to score. The team was a few inches short and a couple of key plays away from a completely different result.
All of the Wolfpack’s first 10 games have been on the road with multiple double-headers and games on back-to-back days. The team won’t get much rest before it plays Elon on the road on Tuesday at 5 p.m. as it wraps up its 11th straight game away from Raleigh. It’s a chance to end the early part of a new season on a high note before settling in with a 12-game home stand.
