No. 16 North Carolina 3, UNC Greensboro 2; No. 16 North Carolina 11, UNC Greensboro 3
CHAPEL HILL, NC ? After eking out a 3-2 win in game one, No. 16 North Carolina exploded for 11 runs in game two for a six-inning, 11-3 victory to sweep an afternoon doubleheader with UNC Greensboro on Wednesday.
Trailing 3-0 entering the sixth inning in game one, UNCG (6-11) finally got its offense going with two outs. Freshman Alex Emeterio got the rally going with a single to right center, and Mary Catherine Vercoe followed with a single to right center of her own. Kaitlin Merkt delivered an RBI single to center to score Emeterio, and Whitney Sirois followed with a double to left ? UNCG’s fourth straight hit ? to plate Vercoe.
With the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run at the plate, UNC pitcher Lisa Norris retired Kristen Gabel on a fly to right field to end the threat.
Amber Harrell (2-5) worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning, retiring the next three batters in order to get UNCG back to the plate. Norris was also up to the challenge, though, sitting down the Spartans in order to nail down her first save of the season.
The Tar Heels (14-3) got on the board first with a pair of runs in the third inning, as Breanna Brown and Danielle Spauldin had RBI hits. UNC added what would prove to be the winning run in the fourth inning on Kelsey Green’s RBI double.
Harrell took the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks in six innings. Spaulding improved to 6-1 on the season, allowing just a fourth-inning single to Vercoe and a walk to Merkt in four innings of work.
Norris worked the final three innings, giving up two runs on five hits.
Vercoe finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Spaulding and Green were both 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Tar Heels.
The Spartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two, but saw North Carolina explode for 11 unanswered runs to take the win.
UNCG batted around in the second, with Vercoe getting things started with a leadoff walk. After a pair of groundouts, Emily Akiyama singled through the left side to plate pinch-runner Katie Stripling. Laura Olenderski and Jordan Jewett then drew consecutive walks to bring up Brittany Ausley, who singled to left to drive in Akiyama and Olenderski for the 3-0 Spartan advantage.
North Carolina took control in the third, batting around to score four runs and go ahead to stay. The first six Tar Heels reached in the inning to knock UNCG starter Hannah Angel from the game, with Anna Roberts’ three-run home run proving the big blow.
Spaulding added a leadoff homer in the fourth and Alyssa Francona earned a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-3 in UNC’s favor.
North Carolina put the mercy rule into effect in the sixth inning, with Roberts’ sacrifice fly scoring Spaulding to cap the five-run frame. Spaulding, Brown and Brittany McKinney also had RBI in the inning.
Angel fell to 4-5 on the season, allowing four runs ? three earned ? on four hits and five walks in two innings. Cory Mattson worked three innings of relief, surrendering two runs on three hits and five walks, while Harrell was tagged for five runs in 0.2 innings on two walks and four hits.
Norris improved to 5-2 on the season with 4.1 innings of one-hit relief. Constance Orr got the start in the circle, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 1.2 innings.
Ausley, Merkt, Akiyama and Lyndsay Mouse accounted for UNCG’s four hits in game two. Spaulding had another big game at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Roberts was 2-for-3 with a run and four RBI.
The Spartans return to action this weekend when they host the UNCG Spartan Classic. UNCG will face Rider on Friday at 2 p.m. at the UNCG Softball Field.
Georgia State 2, Georgia Southern 0; Georgia State 11, Georgia Southern 6
ATLANTA, Ga. ? Georgia State (6-6) swept Georgia Southern softball (6-7) in Wednesday’s doubleheader at Bob Heck Field. Early inning runs proved costly in game one as the Eagles fell 2-0. Georgia Southern dropped game two 11-6.
Nina Iduate (Norcross, Ga.) reached base in the first inning of both games and went four for seven with a RBI.
Megen Smith (Springfield, Ga.) went four for seven with two RBIs at the plate and pitched four-plus innings in her 2009 debut.
The Eagles set a new season high with 16 hits in game two.
Game One
First inning runs proved costly as the Eagles fell 2-0 to Georgia State. Georgia State scored the game’s only runs in the first inning as both pitchers settled into a groove and put zeros on the board.
Georgia State took an early two-run lead in the bottom half of the first inning scoring the only runs of the game. Rebecca Roles loaded the bases with a two-out single, and Rachel Cunningham drove in two runs with a single to center field.
Brianna Streetmon (Winder, Ga.) pitched six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. Streetmon shutdown the Panthers from the second inning on, giving the Eagles an opportunity to get back in the game.
Sam Russo (Snellville, Ga.) doubled to center with one out in the fifth but was left stranded after two straight outs were recorded to end the inning.
Madi Gore pitched a four-hit complete game shutout to earn the win in game one.
Jordyn Nail (Swainsboro, Ga.) picked up her third hit of the season and one of the Eagles’ four of the game with an infield single in the third.
Smith made her 2009 debut in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader. She picked up her first hit of the season with a single in the fifth inning.
Game Two
Two four-run innings proved costly in game two as Georgia State defeated Georgia Southern 11-6 to complete the sweep.
The Eagles out-hit the Panthers 16-10 but committed four errors in the second game. The 16 hits are a season high for Georgia Southern surpassing the previous high of 15 which came in the 11-8 win Sunday over Oakland. Smith, Russo, Iduate and Mackenzie Williams all had three hits in game two.
Russo had another stellar day at the plate going three for four with a RBI.
Georgia State broke open a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the fifth with their second four-run inning of the game. Rachel Cunningham drove in three runs with her first home run of the season.
The Panthers scored four runs in the bottom of the second to take an early 4-1 lead. Lauren Jones hit a three RBI home run over the left field fence for the first three runs of the inning.
The Eagles manufactured an early run in the first inning. Iduate singled to lead off the game and came around to score on Amanda Hall’s (Haddock, Ga.) one-out double.
Iduate went three for four with a RBI and two runs scored.
Georgia Southern and Georgia State traded runs in the third. Iduate and Hanna Ennis (Snellville, Ga.) led off the inning with back-to-back hits and Iduate scored on a Megen Smith double to right.
The Eagles cut the lead to one run in the fourth. Mackenzie Williams (Baxley, Ga.) led off with a walk, advanced to third on Russo’s infield single and came around to score the first run of the inning on Stephanie Peet’s (Lawrenceville, Ga.) ground out. Iduate drove in Russo with a RBI single to center.
Williams, who came into the game with one hit on the year, went three for four with a double in the seventh start of her career.
Georgia Southern briefly tied the game in the top of the fifth when Smith doubled with one out and scored on Russo’s single.
Lauren Jones plated two more runs in the sixth with a RBI single for the Panthers.
The Eagles led off the seventh inning with three straight hits including Smith’s RBI single which plated Hall and threatened to score more with runners on second and third, but Erin Collins coxed Russo to foul out and end the game.
Softball returns home Tuesday to face Jacksonville in a doubleheader at Eagle Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Troy 8, Samford 5
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford softball team fell to Troy Wednesday after leading for five innings. The Trojans sparked a six-run rally in the top of the sixth inning that gave them the advantage and the Bulldogs were defeated, 8-5.
Samford (5-6) posted five runs in the first inning and kept Troy (10-5) scoreless until the top of the fourth inning. Lead-off batter Amy Gonzalez was walked right out of the gate and Jessica Owens followed that up with a base hit. Kristy Lawrence laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third before Amanda Barrs was walked.
With the bases loaded, Katie England singled to right center field to bring in Gonzalez. Aaren Fisher then came to the plate, rattled off a triple and drove three runs home. Whitney Terry then stepped up and brought Fisher home and the Bulldogs were ahead 5-0.
Bulldog pitcher Amanda Barrs and the Samford defense kept Troy scoreless for the first three innings before the Trojans finally got on the board at the top of the fourth inning, 5-1.
Things took a turn in the top of the sixth when Troy’s second baseman Sarah Shields sparked a six-run rally to bring the Trojans into the lead. Shields singled to center field, bringing two runs home. After Samford switched pitcher three times, Troy added four more runs, two were walked in and two were batted in. The Trojans led, 7-5.
In the top of the seventh inning, Troy’s first baseman Hayden Gann homered to make it an 8-5.
For Troy, Ashlyn Williams pitched seven whole innings and earned the win for the Trojans.
Barrs pitched five and two-thirds innings, striking out three batters and giving up three runs on six hits. She walked four. Kayla Burris came in briefly in the sixth inning, giving up four runs, walking one batter and hitting two. Stephanie Royall finished out the game for the Bulldogs, facing six batters, striking out two and giving up one run on two hits.
Fisher led the Bulldogs in hitting against Troy with two hits in three appearances at the plate and posting three RBI. First baseman Kristy Lawrence led the defense with seven putouts followed by catcher Whitney Terry with five.
Samford is back in action this weekend as they play in and co-host the Magic City Classic with UAB. The three-day event will be hosted at Spain Park High School in Hoover, Ala., and Samford begins play in the tournament in the first game on Friday. The Bulldogs will play Northern Illinois at 3:30 p.m., at field one on the Spain Park campus.