With North Carolina’s lead in danger in the second game of Saturday’s twinbill against Virginia Tech, softball coach Donna Papa handed the reins to freshman pitcher Lori Spingola.
The move came as no surprise.
The right-hander leads the ACC with 127 1/3 innings pitched and 25 appearances, and threw a three-hit, complete-game scoreless gem for a win in the first game of the series.
“I think she’s matured a lot throughout this season, and every week she’s gotten better and better,” Papa said. “She’s been in these situations before because she’s been on the mound a lot.”
It also came as no surprise that Spingola managed to escape the ?fth-inning jam in the nightcap, stranding both Hokies on base with a grounder and a foul out. The freshman then went on to close out the second game of Saturday’s double-header with two more scoreless frames, collecting the ?rst save of her career in the process.
“I just had to go out there with the same strategy as the ?rst game and go after each batter,” Spingola said. “It definitely feels good for (Papa) to have confidence in me.”
Spingola pitched a total of 16 2/3 innings over the three-game series, starting the opening and closing games. For the most part, Spingola was able to sti?e the Virginia Tech offense, with the only blemish coming in the form of a two-run shot in the second inning of Sunday’s loss. Those were the only runs she surrendered in the series.
“We’ve relied on her a lot, especially for a freshman,” junior out?elder Kelli Wheeler said. “She’s been put under a lot of pressure, but she always seems to come up when we need her. It kind of sucks in games like this when we can’t pull it through for her.”
Despite the tough loss on Sunday, Spingola managed to grind out a quality start, limiting the damage with the help of her changeup. The pitch is one of many for the crafty right-hander, who said she also throws a riseball, a curve and a screwball.
