University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
No. 22 Carolina Splits With Virginia Tech
April 15, 2006 | Softball
April 15, 2006
LACKSBURG, Va. --- No. 22 North Carolina split a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference games with Virginia Tech Saturday afternoon at Tech Softball Park. Carolina (41-12, 10-4 ACC) won game one, 1-0, while Tech (30-12, 8-5 ACC) took game two, 3-0. Senior Crystal Cox tossed a complete-game shutout to get her 15th straight win in game one, but allowed three runs over five innings in a game two loss. Anna Evans homered in the opener for the game's only run.
Game one featured a matchup between two of the nation's premier pitchers in Cox (22-6) and Virginia Tech's Angela Tincher (18-5). The two hurlers lived up to expectations, allowing a combined three hits and striking out 19 batters. Cox allowed just three baserunners over seven innings, while Tincher surrendered just one hit while walking six.
That one hit would be the difference. Leading off the second inning, Evans sent a 2-1 pitch over the fence in center for a solo home run that would account for the only run of the game. After going almost fifty games without a home run in 2006, Evans has now hit two in the last week.
Despite the six walks, Carolina only threatened in the fourth. Evans and Breanna Brown reached on back-to-back one-out walks and moved up a base on a wild pitch. But Tincher struck out Alyssa Francona and Lisa Norris to end the rally.
Cox matched Tincher the whole way, striking out eight and not walking a batter. Virginia Tech's best chance came in the fourth. Erin Ota led off with single and advanced to second on a two-out fielding error by Evans. But Cox induced a groundout by Jessica Everhart to end the inning. That started a run of 10 straight batters retired by Cox to end the game.
UNC squandered a chance early in game two, leaving the bases loaded in the top of the first. Cassie Palmer led off with a triple, but the Tar Heels could not bring her home. Ashley Oxendine reached on a fielder's choice, and Jennifer Jacobs walked to load the bases after Casey Testa struck out. Evans, the game one hero, then struck out, and Brown lined to short to end the inning.
Carolina left two more runners in scoring position in the fourth. Evans led off with a walk, and advanced to third when Charisse Mariconda threw wild of second on Brown's sacrifice bunt attempt. With runners on second and third with no one out, Norris flied out, Joslin Higgins popped out on a bunt and Francona flied out.
Virginia Tech finally scored its first runs of the day in the fifth thanks to some poor defense by UNC. Carolina Stolle reached with one out on a fielding error by Higgins. After a foul out and a double by Callie Rhodes, Stolle scored an unearned run on a passed ball. Rhodes then made it 2-0 when she scored on a Cox wild pitch.
The Tar Heels stranded three more baserunners in the sixth inning. Jacobs led off with a single and moved to second on Brown's one-out single. After Norris flied out, Higgins walked to load the bases. But Theresa Nicholas struck out swinging to end the threat
The Hokies added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run by Mariconda, the first earned run of the day allowed by Cox.
Katie Maynard picked up the win in the circle in game two, allowing just three hits over seven shutout innings to improve to 12-7 on the year.
Carolina and Virginia Tech will play the rubber game in the series beginning Sunday afternoon at 1.
