What’s ailing the No. 19 North Carolina softball team is a simple question with a much more complicated answer.Although UNC’s bats have not shown up consistently, the Tar Heels will not be able to stay within striking distance of their opponents unless their recent pitching woes are resolved.
What’s ailing the No. 19 North Carolina softball team is a simple question with a much more complicated answer.Although UNC’s bats have not shown up consistently, the Tar Heels will not be able to stay within striking distance of their opponents unless their recent pitching woes are resolved.
In star senior Danielle Spaulding’s first game pitching in almost two weeks, a lesser-known North Carolina player stole the show.Freshman third baseman Haleigh Dickey blasted three home runs in three at-bats to power the UNC softball team (23-8) past UNC-Wilmington, 5-0.
The North Carolina softball team wanted revenge against Georgia Tech this weekend. In its final regular season series last year, the Yellow Jackets swept the Tar Heels — keeping them from entering the ACC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
The weekend softball series between North Carolina and Georgia Tech was more than a competition between the top contenders for the ACC regular season title.It was a matchup of the two early favorites for the conference player of the year award.
The North Carolina pitching staff continued its dominance this weekend, recording two no-hitters and allowing only one run as the Tar Heels cruised to a championship game victory in the Tar Heel Invitational.
The UNC women’s softball team has adopted a new mantra for the 2010 season: attack.No more playing defense or defending leads — the Tar Heels want to get after the competition and not let up.
Junior pitcher Danielle Spaulding did everything she could to help North Carolina stave off elimination against sixth-seeded Georgia in the NCAA Regionals on Saturday. She hit a colossal home run. She started off the sixth inning having allowed only two runs.
RALEIGH — With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning North Carolina pitcher Lisa Norris was facing a full count against Florida State's Kaleigh Rafter. With one runner on base Rafter hit her first pitch foul. The second pitch she hit even better but it was foul again.
It wasn't until a national tournament on an Oklahoma club team that Danielle Spaulding realized she could be a top-tier pitcher. There are certain moments when an athlete's skill and potential merge; this was hers. Spaulding a junior spent the summer after her freshman year with her sister in Oklahoma playing club softball.
Breanna Brown took off in a dead sprint to steal second base. As Brown slid into second the throw from UNC-Charlotte catcher Tenaya Tucker bounced off Brown's hand and into the outfield. The errant throw allowed her to keep running as she rounded the remaining bases and scored the team's first run en route to a 2-0 victory against the 49ers.
Danielle Spaulding fell short of her 14.6 strikeout per game average Saturday afternoon but then again the game lasted only five innings. In the first game of a three-game series No. 13 North Carolina plastered Virginia Tech with an 8-0 mercy rule victory en route to a sweep of the Hokies.
In what is becoming a recurrent storyline for the softball team North Carolina's dynamic pitching duo locked down its opponent once again Saturday afternoon. The No. 15 North Carolina softball team swept UVa. with the help of two complete games from starting pitchers Danielle Spaulding and Lisa Norris.
RALEIGH — The No. 15 North Carolina softball team had a 10-game winning streak entering Saturday's doubleheader against N.C. State in Raleigh. Dominant pitching and outstanding play by Danielle Spaulding characterized the run for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina softball coach Donna Papa knew her team could do better. For two games Saturday her team struggled to put away an overmatched Boston College Eagles team due to errors and sloppy play. The outcome of those games were 6-2 and 3-1 respectively but Papa didn't think the team was playing up to its usual standards.
UNC-Greensboro's hopes of a possible upset of No. 16 North Carolina (14-3) were dashed after a pair of home runs in the second game of their doubleheader. The Tar Heels staved off a late Spartan run in the first game and got behind early in the second but UNC clinched it when Anna Roberts hit a three-run homer — her first of the season.
Swimming & diving - The North Carolina women's swimming and diving teams placed second in the ACC Championships this weekend finishing 246.5 points behind champion Virginia who won for the second consecutive year.
North Carolina hosted four teams this weekend in the Carolina Classic and defeated all of them improving to 8-2 on the season. Friday afternoon the Tar Heels routed their two opponents Wichita State and George Washington with 7-0 and 8-0 scores respectively.
Early in the fourth inning UNC-Wilmington second baseman Morgan Walters boomed a double off the outfield wall. As Walters stood on second moments later Tar Heel pitcher Danielle Spaulding simply smiled.
