The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Scoring frenzy lifts UNC softball past UNC-Greensboro

In a game that was pushed back 45 minutes due to late umpires, the North Carolina softball team beat the UNC-Greensboro Spartans by a score of 15-0. It took the Tar Heels only five innings to wrap up the victory in which their hitting and pitching was nearly perfect.

The Tar Heels powered their way to victory through six home runs — two each for junior shortstop Kristen Brown and senior first baseman Jenna Kelly, followed by solo shots from sophomore right fielder Kendra Lynch and senior designated player Lauren Walker.

“Everybody had really quality at-bats, and we stress that every day,” Coach Donna Papa said. “We faced three different kinds of pitchers, and we were able to have good success off of each pitcher.”

The Tar Heels finished the game with 15 runs but only 12 hits as a team — an unusual feat in softball.

Papa said her team seems to be finding its perfect balance when it comes to the plate.

“Now I’m more prone to let them swing and find their pitch,” Papa said. “We come out every day with the mentality that we are going to attack good pitches.”

Brown added two home runs to her season tally, giving her 10 on the year — a team best.

“I’m just swinging hard, and hopefully it goes out,” Brown said.

After Brown homered in her first two at-bats, the Spartans decided to intentionally walk her the next time at bat in fear of adding a third.

“It shows a lot of respect towards me, but I know the girls behind me in the lineup are going to get it done,” she said.

“It’s just another run on base and potential RBI for another girl.”

On the defensive side, the Tar Heels were almost flawless. Freshman starting pitcher Kaylee Carlson pitched three shutout innings, allowing just one hit.

“She had her off-speed working and her off-speed was going in for strikes,” Papa said. “Over the weekend, it wasn’t as sharp and today she was on.”

“She looked great.”

Carlson pitched well, striking out two batters and walking just one, but she attributed a lot of her success to the run support she was getting from her team on the offensive side.

“When your team is scoring that many runs it is just stress off of your shoulders,” she said. “Our defense has been really good, too, so you just go up there with no worries.”

UNC has committed just 13 errors so far this season and has a .981 fielding percentage, while its opponents have a combined 27 errors and a .957 fielding percentage.

Carlson was taken out after three innings Tuesday in an effort to give other players innings while UNC had a comfortable lead.

“You always want to go out there and pitch, but you also want to give your teammates some innings,” she said.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Tuesday night’s victory has the hot-hitting Tar Heels riding a five-game winning streak and, with the hitting and pitching aligned like it was, UNC was a tough team to beat.

sports@dailytarheel.com