Even after a hot start, the North Carolina softball team dropped the opener of its weekend series against Louisville, 9-5.
It didn’t take long for the Tar Heels (17-18, 3-7 ACC) to get on the board on Saturday. A Taylor Wike double, accompanied by a home run from “Downtown” Kristen Brown, put UNC up 2-0 in the bottom of the first.
Junior Kendra Lynch started in the circle for UNC and held the Cardinals (24-6, 9-1 ACC) hitless for the first two innings — but things got rocky after that.
The top of the third inning saw the first hit for Louisville, along with a walk to rev up the Cardinals' engines.
With runners on first and third with one out, a ground ball looked like it would break the Louisville drought. But a heads-up play by Brown to cut down the runner at the plate preserved the Tar Heels' lead — for the time being.
The next batter for Louisville, pitcher Maryssa Becker, drove one over the fence in right to give the Cardinals a 3-2 advantage.
UNC came up in the bottom of the third inning and earned three runs, courtesy of RBI singles from Berlynne Delmora and Lauren Fuller.
But Louisville did not shy away. The Cardinals hit home runs in the fourth and sixth innings to plate six runs across the final four innings.
North Carolina started a miniature rally to plate a run in the seventh, but it couldn't muster any more.