UNC softball (25-13, 6-9 ACC) got back in the win column with a 11-9 victory over Longwood (11-25, 4-5 Big South) at Anderson Softball Stadium on Wednesday. The win was a much-needed bounce-back after the Tar Heels were swept by then-No. 2 Duke this past weekend.
The Lancers got on the board early, with a wild pitch from senior lefty Bailey McCachren bringing in a runner from third base for the game’s first run in the top of the first inning.
The miscues carried into the second inning, as Longwood had the bases loaded with no outs following a single and two hit-by-pitches. First-year pitcher Janelle Wilson took the mound the following out to replace McCachren. First-year infielder Kate Bubela made back-to-back plays at third to end the inning, but not without Longwood adding one more run.
The Tar Heels responded instantly, with sophomore catcher Isabella Emerling hitting a bomb over the left field scoreboard to cut the lead to one. The game was even at two with Bubela hitting a sac-grounder to bring in first-year outfielder Kayla Lee from third.
UNC took its first lead in the bottom of the third, with senior infielder Skyler Brooks scoring off a wild pitch and an Emerling sac-fly driving in another run. The bases were then loaded for Bubela with two outs, but a pop-out to second base kept the lead at two runs.
Longwood got back on the board with two outs in the top of the fourth, as a miscommunication in the infield saw Emerling throwing to pick-off an empty second base bag, allowing Longwood’s Avery Drake to easily trot home from third. North Carolina responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, including Brooks reaching home after another wild pitch and a two-out rope from Emerling that smacked the center field wall, driving home graduate infielder Abby Settlemyre and bringing the lead up to three.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, one swing of the bat flipped the script for the Lancers, as Longwood’s Avery Miller ripped a three-run homer into right field to tie the game at six a piece.
The tie didn’t make it through the inning, as a drive into shallow left field from junior outfielder Alex Coleman brought home the go-ahead run for UNC in the bottom of the inning. This opened the floodgates for North Carolina’s offense, who scored four more runs in the fifth, courtesy of back-to-back two-RBI swings from Settlemyre and Emerling.
Sophomore pitcher Kenna Raye Dark took over in the sixth for the Tar Heels. She conceded three runs after loading the bases, but UNC held onto its lead headed into the final inning.
