Coming into Wednesday night’s matchup with UNC-Greensboro, North Carolina (17-17) senior shortstop Kristen Brown was riding a seven-game hitting streak and had 15 hits in her last 12 games.
What had not been as consistent of late was her power hitting. Considering that Brown sits at fourth all-time in career home runs in the ACC, her one home run in the last 14 games wasn't the norm.
She would soon end all talk of a slump.
“I don’t really think about hitting a home run. When it happens it happens, and it feels great when I do it," Brown said. "It helps the team out and gets another run on the board. But I just go up there swinging."
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Brown blasted one over center field and out of sight. The hit pushed the Tar Heels (17-17) to a 5-1 lead and gave them the momentum to finish the game strong, with North Carolina eventually defeating the Spartans (22-12), 5-2.
Before this game, she was without a home run in her last six games and had just one in the last 14. Though this is not too bad for an average player, Brown is one of the best power hitters in the country.
This was her 58th career home run, making her only seven home runs away from the ACC record. While Brown does not pay attention to things like this, her hitting does more than set records.
“When Kristen’s up, we’re always expecting her to do big things … like tonight, when she hit that ball a long ways, which builds us up and keeps us going,” UNC second baseman Taylor Wike said.
This has been an up and down season for Brown, especially compared to her 24 home run season a year ago. This home run could provide the spark needed to get her back on track. She may not pay attention to numbers, but she currently is a player that can get hot and take over games.
