University of North Carolina Athletics
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Twin Bill Sweep Takes Win Streak To 22
March 21, 2007 | Softball
March 21, 2007
CHAPEL HILL --- A doubleheader sweep of UNC Wilmington behind a 10-0 run-rule win in game one and a 9-2 decision in game two extended North Carolina's school record winning streak to 22 games Wednesday at Anderson Stadium.
The Tar Heels (29-8) pounded out 11 hits and Lisa Norris and Danielle Spaulding combined for a one-hit shutout in the opener as UNC claimed its third straight run-rule victory. Spaulding continued her brilliance in game two as the starter and the Carolina bats kept singing to the tune of 10 hits while the Tar Heels made the Seahawks (10-20) pay for committing four errors in coasting to the seven-run win.
Norris pitched four innings and gave up just one hit - a double in the first - to earn the win in game one, taking her record to 17-6. She struck out five Seahawks and walked just one in facing three more than the minimum. Spaulding made her fifth appearance of the season in the circle in the fifth, working a perfect 1-2-3 inning to close the game out early for UNC.
Carolina opened up the scoring in the bottom half of the first in game one. Jennifer Jacobs collected an RBI on a sacrifice fly after the Tar Heels loaded the bases to start the frame, but that was the only run they could push across in taking a 1-0 lead.
The second inning was a different story, though; UNC capitalized for seven runs on five hits - all of which came with two outs - in jumping all over UNC Wilmington pitcher Brittney Lehrschall. After Lisa Norris, Erin Dudley, and Breanna Brown all got on to set the table for Carolina, Casey Testa started the scoring in a big way with a bases-clearing single, collecting three RBI on the play. One batter later, Anna Evans added an RBI single to score Testa and Whitney Allen followed with a three-run blast to left center - her first home run of her career - to cap the huge inning for the Tar Heels. The game went to the third with Carolina up 8-0.
Testa drew a bases-loaded walk in the third inning for her fourth RBI of the game and Christine Knauer picked up her first career hit in just her second at-bat of the season, an RBI single in the fourth, to help make up the final 10-0 score.
In addition to Testa, Joslin Higgins and Dudley had multi-hit games for the Tar Heels in the opener.
Her strong finish to game one helped earn Spaulding the start - her second of the season - in game two, and she responded early, picking up two strikeouts in the first inning on her way to retiring the Seahawk side in order to start things off. Riding that momentum, Spaulding picked up two more strikeouts in the second before striking out all three UNC Wilmington batters she faced in the third.
Evans' speed played a big role in giving Carolina an early 1-0 lead in the second as she came around to score on an error by the UNC Wilmington third baseman after getting hit by a pitch and stealing second.
UNC added six unearned runs in the fourth, taking advantage of three Seahawk errors in the frame. Jacobs picked up an RBI with a bases-loaded walk in the inning and Evans followed with a two-run double to left center to help break things open for the Tar Heels. Stephanie Murad also picked up an RBI single as the Tar Heels stretched their lead to 7-0.
Spaulding faced the minimum through four before issuing a leadoff walk to start the fifth. Brittany Straughn broke up Spaulding's no-hit bid after four and two-third innings with a two-run home run - the first of the year off of Spaulding - to get the Seahawks on the board in the fifth. Spaulding would finish with a career-high eight strikeouts in five innings of work to get the win in her first career decision, with the home run representing the only hit she allowed.
Carolina answered with two runs of its own in the sixth courtesy of an Anna Evans RBI double and a run-scoring single from Allen, and Amber Johnson came on to pitch trouble-free sixth and seventh innings to wrap up the 9-2 win.
For the game, Evans went 2-3 with two doubles and three RBI. Palmer, Allen, and Murad all chipped in with two-hit performances as well for UNC.
Boston College comes to town next for an Atlantic Coast Conference weekend series starting Saturday. Both games of a Saturday doubleheader, which starts at 1 p.m., as well as the game Sunday will be broadcast online live via ACC select.
