University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida International
Homers Lift UNC Softball To Win
March 13, 2002 | Softball
March 13, 2002
MIAMI, Fla.-- The University of North Carolina softball team scored four runs in the top of the 11th inning Wednesday night to defeat host Florida International 8-5 and improve to 12-11 on the season. Senior Natalie Anter, junior Quinn Porter and freshman Ashley Allen all homered for the Tar Heels and Allen threw a complete-game win, striking out 10.
FIU scored four runs in the bottom of the first to go up 4-1 before Carolina began to chip away at the lead with Allen's second-inning home run, the first of her UNC career. Anter's two-run shot in the third was her sixth home run of the season and upped her UNC-record career total to 25.
After that, both teams went silent until the 11th. In the tie-breaker format, the Tar Heels started the fourth extra inning with sophomore Emily Price on second. Price was sacrificed to third and gave the Tar Heels the lead when she scored on Dionne Streete's RBI single. Two batters later, senior Rosie Gustavson doubled to bring Streete home and put UNC up 6-4. Porter's two-run homer, her first of the season, brought Gustavson home. The Golden Panthers managed one run in the bottom of the inning.
Wednesday's game was UNC's third matchup of the season with FIU. The Tar Heels won 3-2 and lost 6-0 to Florida International at the Gator Classic in the first weekend of the season.
The Tar Heels went 2-0 in two games in Miami. On Tuesday, UNC defeated Rhode Island 9-1 at FIU's home field to give North Carolina coach Donna Papa her 600th career win.
The final stop on the Tar Heels' Spring Break trip in Florida is a doubleheader Thursday at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. The first game begins at 6 p.m. FAU defeated UNC 6-3 last Thursday at the Speedline Invitational in Tampa.
North Carolina 8, Florida International 5, 11 innings
UNC 112 000 000 04 -- 8 18 1
FIU 400 000 000 01 --5 11 1
