University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Boston College
No. 22 Carolina Splits With Boston College
April 8, 2006 | Softball
April 8, 2006
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. --- Crystal Cox won her 12th straight decision as the No. 22 North Carolina softball team split an Atlantic Coast Conference doubleheader with Boston College Saturday afternoon at Shea Field. Carolina (36-11, 8-3 ACC) won the opener, 3-2, and BC (15-16, 2-9 ACC) took game two, 3-2.
The Tar Heels wasted opportunities in each of the first three innings of game one, only to finally break through in the fourth. Jennifer Jacobs led off with her team-leading eighth home run of the year to give UNC a 1-0 lead. After a walk and a fielding error, Emily Troup singled home Anna Evans to push the lead to 2-0.
Cox (19-5) cruised through the first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. After a leadoff strikeout, Jenna Macchi singled up the middle and Renee Ramos doubled to left center. Another strikeout brought Cox to the brink of escaping trouble, but Elena Ferrero blooped a singled to short left, scoring Macchi and Ramos to tie the score.
Carolina would respond in the seventh with what would prove to be the game-winning run. Breanna Brown led off with a single in front of home plate and took second on Troup's sacrifice bunt. After Erin Dudley struck out looking, Cassie Palmer singled home Brown to break the tie. Cox got two groundouts and a strikeout to end it.
Boston College took the early advantage in game two thanks to a Carolina miscue. After a leadoff groundout, Ramos reached when Brown dropped a fly ball to center. Starter Lisa Norris (11-4) got a strikeout for the second out, but surrendered an RBI single to Ferrero to make it 1-0. That brought Britney Thompson to the plate and she drilled a home run to left center to extend the BC lead to 3-0.
UNC got single runs in the fourth and sixth to pull within one. After Testa reached on a one-out double in the fourth, Evans plated pinch-runner Marissa May with an RBI single. After a Brown single and a Norris walk loaded the bases, Whitney Gelin grounded out to end the threat. Carolina's best chance to tie came in the sixth, when Testa led off with a solo home run. Evans delivered a one-out double and advanced to third on another Brown single. But she was cut down trying to score on Norris' grounder to first, and a Troup flyout ended the inning.
Thompson, who came in to relieve Savana Lloyd (6-5) in the sixth, pitched a perfect seventh for her first save of the year. Norris was the hard-luck loser, allowing just three unearned runs and striking out a career-high 11 Eagles.
Carolina and BC will play the rubber game in the series Sunday afternoon at 1.
