May 19, 2007
NCAA Championships
Columbia Regional – Game 5
May 19, 2007
North Carolina State Coach Lisa Navas
Regarding the intentional walk to McKenna Hughes:
“I’d do it again. It wasn’t her, she didn’t beat us. (Jessica Josker) got a hit on a pitch…she hadn’t hit the ball. She had two ground balls out. We had to take our chances, that’s what this game’s about.”
South Carolina Head Coach Joyce Compton:
“Obviously after that third inning for us to come back the way we did, it says a lot about the character of this team.”
“Kate (Pouliot) had a heck of a game, she hadn’t pitched in two weeks and to come out and keep us in it the way she did.”
“I thought we played better defense later in the game. Becky (Martinez) had two nice plays in the last inning.”
On the intentional walk:
“I’ve done it before. We pick people who are not going to beat us. I might not have intentionally walked her but I would for sure not put anything in to home plate. You pick somebody who is not going to beat you. Jessica (Josker) hadn’t done anything against them all weekend, and you really can’t second guess yourself.”
On Jessica Josker and the intentional walk to get to her:
“I think she probably took it a little personally, putting the go-ahead run on base in front of her and she stepped up to the plate. We’ve been talking about someone stepping up and getting the job done offensively and defensively.”
On Sunday’s matchup with Oregon:
“I feel like we can come out and hit the ball against them. We just have to have our pitchers step up and keep us in the ballgame.”
“I feel like even though we lost the first game against Oregon today we got a lot of confidence in that game.”
“We can’t worry about the second game, we just have to think about the first game.”
On The decision to walk her to and pitch to Jessica Josker:
“I was surprised. They put the tying win on second base. Even though Josker hadn’t got a hit yet, she’s our number four hitter and we our confident she will get a hit.”
On walking McKenna Hughes to get to her:
I wanted to prove something and I think that was the best thing they could of done for me was walk McKenna (Hughes).
“It’s a big deal to play tomorrow. I have confident that we can do it and I’m excited.”
