University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
UMass
Tar Heels Fall In NCAA Softball Play
May 17, 2001 | Softball
May 17, 2001
NORMAN, Okla.-The University of North Carolina softball team fell 4-2 to No. 23 Massachusetts Thursday in the Tar Heels' opening game of the NCAA Tournament. UNC will play Lehigh Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT. A win puts the Tar Heels in a 7:30 p.m. game against top-seeded Oklahoma. A loss ends UNC's first trip to the NCAA Softball Tournament.
"This is not the way we wanted to start out," said UNC coach Donna Papa, who is in her 16th season with the Tar Heels (37-18-1). "We were a little tentative today. I don't think we played with the feeling that we were going to win."
At OU Softball Complex, the Minutewomen got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Third baseman Cherra Wheeler was hit by a pitch and replaced on first by pinch runner KC Budrewicz. Budrewicz advance to second on a sacrifice and third on a ground out then scored on an error.
UNC got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, scoring two runs to take a 2-1 lead. Second baseman Sarah Young led off the inning with a single, and center fielder Quinn Porter followed that with a single of her own. Right fielder Rosie Gustavson advanced the runners to second and third with her 13th sacrifice of the season. After a second Tar Heel out, catcher Natalie Anter doubled to right to score Young and Porter.
Carolina carried that lead into the top of the sixth inning, when UMass took the lead with a two-run double. After Emily Robustelli and Teri Rooney led off the inning with singles, first baseman Brandi Cross doubled to center to score the winning runs. The Minutewomen added another run in the top of the seventh when Anna Perey scored on a single by Cross, who had three RBI in the game.
Kaila Holtz picked up the win for UMass, allowing seven hits to the Tar Heels and striking out four. Radara McHugh took the loss for UNC. She struck out five and gave up seven hits and three earned runs.
"UMass is a good team and the entire game was a battle, but I didn't think we had our A game," Papa said. "We got seven hits and only scored two runs. I'm disappointed that we didn't make the most of our hits."
Massachusetts 4, North Carolina 2
UM....010 002 1 - 4 7 1
UNC...002 000 0 - 2 7 1
WP: Kaila Holtz (13-1), LP: Radara McHugh (23-11)
