No-hitter for Cox sweeps away Furman

After scoring one run in five games in the Kia Klassic during Spring Break, the North Carolina softball team decided to turn over a new leaf and begin a “new” season Wednesday in a doubleheader against Furman with 19 runs on 22 hits.

“Today we started a brand new season,” said UNC coach Donna Papa. “Our goal was that we would start today 0-0.”

The Tar Heels (18-14) got off to a good start by winning both games against the Paladins (9-21) without allowing a single run.

SOFTBALL Furman 0 UNC 8 Furman 0 UNC 11

Pitching in the first game, junior Crystal Cox fired her sixth career no-hitter and had 11 strikeouts in the Tar Heels 11-0 victory.

“She was able to pitch a lot more relaxed when we got two runs in the first inning,” Papa said. “That really gives the pitcher the chance to breathe a sigh of relief and concentrate on what they need to do pitching-wise instead of always worrying about being so perfect.”

Cox attributed her successful game to catcher Whitney Gelin, who called the pitches for the majority of the game.

“(Gelin) did a great job behind the plate, and it definitely made it smoother for me,” Cox said. “We were really focused and positive, and everyone was really loud. It felt good.”

On the offensive end, first-baseman Casey Testa batted 2-for-2 in the first game with four RBIs.

“I haven’t been hitting my best in these past couple of games when we were in California,” Testa said. “I just came out here and made the adjustment. ... It gave me a lot more confidence and it felt great to do what I'm supposed to be doing, finally.”

Testa was not the only hitter on top of her game Wednesday. Second baseman Julia Bove went 3-for-3 and had two RBIs in the second game. Pitchers Ashley Allen and Alison Yin kept the game at a shutout for an 8-0 victory.

“We are really working on trying to do things perfectly, we have to focus on being focused and doing things well,” Papa said. “Paying attention to the little things, because when you do those well, that helps you to get the other parts of your game.”

The little things all went the Tar Heels’ way Wednesday, which Testa attributed to the Tar Heels’ return to Chapel Hill after the team’s struggles in California.

“We are on our field and on our home ground, we are not going to lose here,” Testa said.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.