UNC softball goes 2-0 against UNC Charlotte

The North Carolina softball team (11-5) won their games against the Charlotte 49ers (8-9) Wednesday 4-0 and 6-2 with strong pitching performances from freshmen starters Lori Spingola and Sara Buchholz.

In her first start after a perfect game against Penn State on Sunday, Spingola turned in another gem in game one of the doubleheader to push her record to 9-3.

She recorded ten strikeouts in a complete-game shutout, allowing four hits in her seven innings of work. She also added two innings of scoreless relief in game two, giving her an ERA of 1.79 for the season.

“I just tried to keep the same mentality as I did the last game, going for each batter one pitch at a time,” Spingola said.

The Circle Heels’ offense would provide four runs in support for Spingola, putting runs on the board in the second and third innings, and cementing the lead with two insurance runs in the fifth.

Junior leftfielder Kelli Wheeler blasted a solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the third, her third of the season. Wheeler also scored on an RBI double from junior catcher Ally Blake.

“Sometimes it takes us a little bit of time to get going (offensively), but I think it’s just being able to make adjustments, which we do when we see the pitcher a second time around,” coach Donna Papa said.

After a short intermission, the Tar Heels took the field again and had similar results despite falling behind early.

Charlotte second baseman Lorena Vela drove a Buchholz offering for a two-run homer in the top of the third, but the Tar Heels answered swiftly by manufacturing two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Pinch runner Chelsey Butler scored on a sacrifice fly by Blake, and first baseman Haleigh Dickey promptly followed with a home run to tie the score at two.

“We can battle back. Today we were down 2-0 in this game, and nobody panicked, and we were able to get a few runs,” Papa said.

The Tar Heels gained the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run double to the gap in right-center off the bat of Blake, who finished with four RBI on the day. Up next was Dickey, who brought an abrupt end to 49ers starter Katie Watkins’ day with her second home run of the game.

The Tar Heels have a tough two weeks ahead, as they face several national powerhouses in Oregon, Notre Dame and Alabama, who will provide a challenge for the young Tar Heel pitching staff, which struggled during a mid-February sweep at the hands of a talented Florida team.

“We’ve always had an upperclassman that they could follow and not have as much heat on (the freshmen starters) and not throw them into the fire right away,” Papa said.

Papa, though, is confident that her team will play at a higher level against the tough competition.

“The kids know that Oregon is a Pac-10 team, and we’ve risen to the occasion against teams like that,” Papa said. “We seem to be a little more focused.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.