Syracuse handled by NC State 8-2 in 1st ACC game of season

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NC State was up one in the bottom of the first when the Wolfpack’s Michele Tarpey made her way to the batter’s box. With runners on first and second, Tarpey gave the first pitch a long ride to left center, with just enough air to sail over the fence and put NC State up by four.

Syracuse (9-5) never got closer for the remainder of the game, eventually falling 8-2 to NC State (17-2) in its first conference game of the season. The Orange were never able to claw back in the game after a massive first inning by the Wolfpack. After starting out the season 6-0, Clark has now been pulled in her first inning in each of her last two appearances.

NC State got out of the first inning without giving up a hit before its offense caught fire in the bottom of the first. The Wolfpack had runners on the corners when Carson Shaner hit a single between first and second base to send Brittany Jackson home. Then, Tarpey hit the bomb to left center and the score was 4-0. And finally, a Taylor Johnson solo shot extended the Wolfpack’s lead to five.

Head coach Shannon Doepking pulled Clark for Ariana Adams following that at-bat, and the graduate student immediately caught Alaina Smith swinging to retire the side. To kick off the second, shortstop Neli Casares-Maher beat out a hard ground ball for a single. Then, she got to second on a fielder’s choice and to third on a wild pitch. This allowed Angie Ramos to bat her in with a single to right field.

Adams picked up where she left off by putting away the first two batters in the second inning, but then she hit Jackson in the shoulder with a pitch. Jackson stole second and then scored on a Logan Morris hit to shallow center.

In the fourth, by way of a walk and a throwing error, Syracuse got runners on second and third with nobody out. Taylor Posner hit a sacrifice fly to the center field wall that Ryan Gallegos scored on to make it a 6-2 game.

Although Adams gave up a single to start the bottom of the fourth, Tessa Galipeau made a double play at first base. She caught a liner by NC State’s Gracie Roberts and quickly stepped on the bag. Smith ran to second thinking there wasn’t any way Galipeau could catch it, but she paid for it.

The Orange left runners on first and second in the top of the fifth after Aisha Weixlmann struck out Kelly Breen to end the inning. With a runner on first, Shaner hit another homer to put her team up 8-2. Other than a Posner walk, Syracuse failed to get on base in the sixth.

Then, in the seventh, the Orange needed to make up six runs in the half inning against a pitcher they’d only notched four hits against the whole night. A strikeout, foul out and pop out gave NC State its fourth straight win.

Adams pitched well in relief, only giving up six hits during her 5.1 innings in the pitcher’s circle. But Syracuse just couldn’t keep up with NC State’s offense, allowing Weixlmann to earn her seventh win of the year.

Syracuse continues its series against NC State on Saturday at 1 p.m., and will wrap up its trip to Raleigh when the two teams meet at noon on Sunday.