Elon Softball Falls to NC State in Midweek Action

ELON, N.C. – Three errors committed by the Elon University softball team led to eight unearned runs as the Phoenix fell to NC State, 9-0, on Wednesday evening, April 12, in a midweek contest at Hunt Softball Park.

Final Box (.PDF)

Elon (26-14) saw its season-tying high six-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Wolfpack (15-25). NC State snapped its two-game losing skid to the Phoenix and improved its all-time record versus the maroon and gold to 11-7 in the series.

At the Plate: The Phoenix was shutout for only the third time this season and held to four hits against the Wolfpack…NC State had 11 hits in the contest with a pair of home runs…Four different players recorded a base hit for Elon with Callie Horn (1-for-3), Kara Shutt (1-for-2), Carey Million (1-for-2) and Kristin Hoover (1-for-2) all plating a base knock.

In the Circle: Starter Kiandra Mitchum took the loss in the circle for the Phoenix, falling to 14-8 on the year…Mitchum threw 3.2 innings and allowed five hits, three runs, but only one earned, while striking out five…Kenna Quinn and Hailey Jomp also pitched in relief for the maroon and gold…The three pitchers combined for only one earned run out of the nine scored by the Wolfpack.

The Rundown: After both teams battled through scoreless first and second frames, NC State took the lead in the third, scoring a pair of runs off two hits and a Phoenix error. The Wolfpack opened the inning with a single and a hit-by-pitch with the runners advancing to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. A bunt single by Cheyenne Balzer scored a run while a Phoenix fielding error on the play led to a second run crossing the dish.

Three more runs came across home plate in the top of the fourth behind two hits and another Elon miscue. With two outs in the inning, the Wolfpack connected on a three-run home run by Molly Hutchinson to extend NC State’s lead to 5-0 heading into the bottom half of the inning.

In the top of the fifth, NC State exploded for four runs with most of the damage coming off its second homer of the day. After the Phoenix finagled the first two outs of the frame with a runner at third, a throwing error by Elon led to another run scoring for the Wolfpack. Following a NC State single to left field, the Wolfpack’s Tyler Ross increased the lead to 9-0 with her three-run homerun into center field.

Elon went down quietly in the bottom half of the fifth, falling to the Wolfpack by the score of 9-0.

On Deck
Elon hosts Towson for a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series on April 15-16.