University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
East Carolina
Price Leads Tar Heels To Sweep Of ECU
April 21, 2004 | Softball
April 21, 2004
Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina senior Emily Price went 5-for-5 with home runs in three consecutive at-bats and a total of six RBI as the UNC softball team swept visiting East Carolina in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, 1-0 in the first game and 11-4 in the second. Price homered to win Game 1 in the bottom of the seventh, then hit home runs in her first two at-bats in the second game as UNC improved to 40-16 on the season. The shortstop also had a double and a single and was walked twice, once intentionally.
"I think that was the best performance I've seen a player put on in a Tar Heel uniform," said Tar Heel coach Donna J. Papa, who is in her 19th season at UNC. "Emily was outstanding at the plate and also played great defense. She's seeing the ball so well, she's got a lot of confidence, and she's hitting a lot of different pitches. I just can't say enough about her. She having an outstanding year."
Price's two home runs in Game 2 tied the school single-game record for home runs. With 14 this year, she's one away from tying the school single-season record of 15, set in 2002 by Natalie Anter. Following Wednesday's games, her team-best batting average is up to .429.
In Game 1 Wednesday at the UNC Softball Complex, neither team managed a hit until Carolina senior Dionne Streete doubled in the bottom of the third. Price doubled in the fourth, but in both cases the Tar Heels failed to score. UNC pitcher Crystal Cox had a no-hitter through the top of the sixth, when senior Lara Brickhouse singled for the Pirates' only hit of the game. With the game still scoreless, Price led off the bottom of the seventh with a shot over the left-center fence.
In the second game, Price led off in the the bottom of the second with a solo shot over the left field fence. The Tar Heels added four more runs in the bottom of the third on a two-out RBI single by junior Jessica Young and a three-run homer by Price.
East Carolina got on the board for the first time in the top of the fourth, when the Pirates scored three runs on four hits and an error. Sophomore Krista Jessup and senior Dany'ele Hill hit RBI singles and Jessup scored when the Tar Heels went for their third out at second base but committed an error.
UNC added three more in the bottom of the fifth, on two hits and two ECU errors. Young hit a two-RBI triple to right and senior Jessica Robinson singled up the middle to bring home another run. Pirates right fielder Leigh Savoy, a junior, hit a solo home run with two outs in the top of the sixth to give her team its fourth run of the game. In the bottom of the sixth, the Tar Heels scored three more runs on an error and RBI singles by freshman Anna Evans and Price.
ECU fell to 41-16-1 on the season with the loss. The Pirates wrap up a nine-game road swing this weekend when they travel to face Saint Louis in Conference USA games on Saturday and Sunday.
The Tar Heels, who reached the 40-wins landmark for the second season in a row and the sixth time since the program began fastpitch play in 1984, travel to Florida State this weekend for a doubleheader on Saturday. At 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, Carolina is second in the ACC standings behind second-ranked FSU, 48-5 overall and 5-1 in ACC play.
Game 1: North Carolina 1, East Carolina 0
ECU 000 000 0 - 0 1 0
UNC 000 000 1 - 1 3 1
Win: Crystal Cox (21-10); Loss: Brently Bridgeforth (15-7)
Game 2: North Carolina 11, East Carolina 4
ECU 000 301 0 - 4 8 4
UNC 014 033 x - 11 8 1
Win: Alison Yin (16-6); Loss: Keli Harrell (12-5)
Records: UNC 40-16, ECU 41-16-1
