North Carolina softball splits games for second day in a row at the Spring Games

In the second day of the Spring Games, the UNC softball team (6-3) split its games again on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Monmouth (1-1) in the morning, before a 3-1 win over Stetson (5-3) in the afternoon game.

What happened?

In the first game against Monmouth, the Hawks scored early as Briana Hoskins advanced to third base before scoring at the top of the first.

Despite a strong base steal from junior outfielder Bri Stubbs, who was able to third base at the bottom of the first, North Carolina failed to score a run.

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning when Monmouth’s Lindsey Baron advanced to third base on a wild pitch, eventually scoring the second run for the hawks.

At the bottom of the seventh, North Carolina sophomore pitcher Talia Hannappel struck out swinging, as did first-year first baseman Regan Weisner, before junior third baseman Destiny Middleton closed the inning with a groundout, allowing Monmouth to secure the win.

The Tar Heel's matchup against Stetson started out slow. Neither team scored in the first inning and Stetson again failed to convert any runs by the middle of the second. But UNC built momentum at the bottom of the second.

Sophomore infielder Skyler Brooks singled, then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Then, senior catcher Taylor Greene was awarded a walk to first base. With two teammates on base, junior infielder Katie Perkins tripled to right field, collecting two RBIs and putting the Tar Heels on the board.

Stetson answered UNC’s runs with a score at the top of the third, but the score remained tied at 2-1 until the bottom of the fourth. It was again Perkins who singled to center field, driving Brooks in to give North Carolina its third run.

Who stood out? 

Against Monmouth, Greene and Perkins played strong defensively. With eight and nine putouts respectively, their defense ensured that the Hawks could not score enough to run away with the game.

The story was similar against Stetson. Perkins was a notable player in the afternoon game, notching all three of the team's RBIs, as well as six putouts. Greene contributed another eight putouts that shut down the Monmouth offense.

When was it decided?

UNC’s defense prevented Monmouth scoring attempts during the middle of the game. They only allowed them to score two runs — one in the first inning and one in the seventh. This gave the Tar Heels a chance to take control, but their offense failed to gain momentum and never put a run on the board.

Against Stetson, North Carolina found its groove beginning in the second inning and extending all the way to the fourth. Even though the Tar Heels failed to score in the remaining three innings, their early efforts were enough to secure the victory.

Why does it matter?

The Spring Games is the team’s second series of the season. They began play Friday with a win vs. Florida Atlantic University 2-1. The team later fell to No. 17 Missouri, 5-2 on Friday afternoon.

Despite a morning loss today, the Tar Heels will look to use their afternoon momentum to finish out the tournament with a win tomorrow morning. Building early success and confidence will be key going forward.

The team has a long road ahead of it. The Tar Heels will play at the Georgia Classic at the end of February and host the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill for home fans on the weekend of March 4-6. Most of their ACC play will take place in late March and April before they play in the ACC tournament from May 11-14 hosted in Pittsburgh, Penn.

When do they play next?

Play continues at the Spring Games tournament in Leesburg, Fla. on Sunday, February 20th. The Tar Heels will take on Ohio State at 9 a.m.

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