Bears Travel to North Carolina

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado softball (3-7, 0-0 Big Sky) looks at another weekend of tough competition as the Bears will compete in the Marucci Classic hosted by NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina. The three-day tournament sees UNC face Central Michigan twice, NC State twice, and Illinois once.

GAME COVERAGE
A live stream will only be available on the ACC Network for the Bears' two games against the host team, NC State. The rest of the games will not be live streamed; however fans can still stay up to date via live stats.

A LOOK AT THE BEARS
The Bears are 3-7 after two weekends of non-conference play. UNC secured two wins down south, one in Las Cruces, N.M. against New Mexico State and one in El Paso, Texas against Manhattan University. The Bears defeated the Aggies 13-10 and run ruled the Jaspers 10-1 in five innings.

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
(Friday / 11 a.m. MST | Sunday / 8 a.m. MST)
Central Michigan wrapped up its opening weekend at the Troy Trojan Classic with a 1-4 record, concluding the road trip with a 6-3 loss to North Texas. The Mean Green set the tone early, scoring twice in the first inning and adding another run in the third. The Chippewas mounted a response in the fifth, putting up three runs to briefly tie the game, but North Texas answered with three of their own in the same inning to seal the win. Despite the loss, CMU showed resilience at the plate and displayed contributions from several young players.

Offensively, the Chippewas capitalized on small-ball execution and aggressive baserunning in the fifth inning. Emma Lotus reached on a catcher's interference before stealing second, setting the stage for CMU's rally. Freshmen Maddison Diekman and Tori Briggs reached base to load the bases, and Carly Sleeman's sacrifice fly brought home the first run. Allyssa Hollo delivered a key RBI single, and Grace Koenig followed with another run-scoring hit to complete CMU's scoring effort. On the mound, Mackenzie Langan started and worked 2.1 innings, allowing four hits while striking out two. Cierra Laska entered in the third with the bases loaded and provided two solid innings before Brooklyn Compau closed the game, allowing just two hits and one run in relief.

SCOUTING NC STATE
(Friday / 4 p.m. MST | Sunday / 8 a.m. MST)
NC State closed out its weekend at the Joan Joyce Classic with a tough 2-0 loss to Minnesota, as the Gophers broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the sixth inning. The Wolfpack showed defensive sharpness early, turning a double play in the first inning and keeping Minnesota off the board for five frames. Offensively, NC State had several opportunities but struggled to convert, leaving multiple runners stranded. With the loss, the Pack moves to an even 5-5 on the season.

Despite the offensive struggles, NC State saw contributions from multiple players at the plate. Freshman Kendall Simmers recorded two singles, while junior Hannah Church also added a hit. Tori Ensley reached safely twice, including a key baserunning moment in the third, and junior MaKayla Marbury nearly put the Pack on the board with a sixth-inning triple but was thrown out attempting an inside-the-park homer. Freshman Lisey St. Jean notched her first collegiate hit in the seventh but was left stranded. In the circle, junior Wynne Gore delivered 5.2 solid innings, allowing two runs while tying her career high with three strikeouts. Fellow junior Madison Inscoe finished the final 1.1 innings in relief.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS
(Saturday | 10 a.m. MST)
Illinois put together a dominant showing at the Roar City Invitational, securing an 8-0 run-rule victory over Stony Brook before walking off Quinnipiac, 7-3, in extra innings. With the pair of wins, the Fighting Illini improved to 4-5 on the season, showcasing both offensive firepower and strong pitching performances. Senior Lauren Wiles headlined game one, tossing a complete-game shutout while allowing just three hits. The offense backed her up early, plating seven runs in the first inning behind RBI doubles from Adisyn Caryl and Stevie Meade, as well as key contributions from Keirys Click. Click added another RBI in the fourth, sealing the victory in just five innings.

Game two featured more late-game drama, as Illinois battled through extra innings before Caryl delivered a walk-off grand slam to down Quinnipiac. The Illini struck first with a Paige Berkmeyer RBI double but fell behind 2-1 in the third. Meade tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth, and after both teams remained scoreless through seven, Quinnipiac took a 3-2 lead in the eighth. Illinois responded quickly, as Berkmeyer doubled to bring home the tying run before Caryl's clutch homer sealed the win. Freshman Danika Frazier provided a solid start, allowing two runs in 4.1 innings, while Karley Yergler picked up the win in relief, giving up just one run over 3.2 innings.

UP NEXT
The Bears will play in the Colorado Classic, hosted by Colorado State, March 1-2. Northern Colorado will play two games against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and one against CSU.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the softball team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsSB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsSB).

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