Softball unable to reproduce offense

After a dominating offensive display under the lights at No. 9 Georgia on April 1, the North Carolina softball team was unsure if it would make its weekend trip to face lowly ACC-foe Syracuse.

So when the stage was set for a Friday doubleheader, UNC made plans for an earlier flight.

But its offense was delayed.

In the series opener, the Tar Heels (26-10, 10-3 ACC) mustered just three hits in a 4-2 loss — giving the Orange (14-19, 1-7 ACC) their first ACC victory of the season.

“They were 0-6 in the conference, so you always have to feel good about your chances to win that series,” Coach Donna Papa said. “We didn’t really show up.”

UNC bounced back in the second game, scoring five runs in the final two innings to claim a 6-2 victory.

But after Wednesday’s impressive outing, Papa expected more.

“You would think it would give you that confidence,” said Papa of her team’s 18-hit, 15-run performance. “You can’t make one game bigger than another. It was like totally two different teams.”

Friday’s edition managed 11 hits over two games and struggled to get balanced contributions from its lineup — a far cry from North Carolina’s showcase under the lights against the Bulldogs.

“We came out with so much energy against Georgia,” said freshman pitcher Sydney Matzko. “We needed to bring that same amount to the game against Syracuse, but we just didn’t.”

The Tar Heels’ lackluster output might have been beyond their control.

With bad weather looming, the series was on the brink of cancellation. And after the three-game weekend series was pushed to a Friday doubleheader — cutting into the team’s practice time — UNC was saddled with plane troubles to boot.

Papa refused to rely on the excuses.

“It’s really more of a mindset,” she said. “We have to be prepared, and we have to be mentally tougher to compete at a certain level.”

Papa’s team started just as flat in the second half of the series, driving in only one run through the first five frames.

But when the lights shined brightest in the top of the seventh, senior Jenna Kelly belted a three-run blast to put the game away for good.

Though Papa praised the shot, the first baseman downplayed its importance.

“I was just going to try to get a base hit,” said Kelly, with modest reservation. “I didn’t really think it was that big.”

But her coach disagreed, dubbing the hit as the play of the series.

“I think we have a team that can do some really special things this year,” Papa said. “It’s up to them to really take control of the controllables so that we can achieve what we want to achieve.”

sports@dailytarheel.com