University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
Florida State Takes Series With 6-3 Win
April 29, 2007 | Softball
April 29, 2007
CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina recognized its six-member Class of 2007 with a pre-game Senior Day ceremony Sunday afternoon at Anderson Stadium but Florida State used six two-out runs and withstood a late UNC rally to spoil the celebration for the Tar Heels, claiming game three - and with it the series - with a 6-3 victory.
The loss concluded Carolina's regular season at 43-17 and gave the Tar Heels a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with an 11-9 record in league play.
The game started slowly from an offensive standpoint as neither team could record a hit in the first three frames with starters Lisa Norris for UNC and Melissa May for FSU controlling the action from the circle in the early going.
Veronica Wootson reached first base on a bunt single in the fourth to break through for the Seminoles, however, and two outs later a walk to Yuruby Alicart put two runners on for Florida State (38-20, 13-7 ACC). Brittany Osmon made sure to take advantage of the opportunity in a big way for the Seminoles, blasting a three-run home run over the fence in centerfield to put FSU up 3-0.
Florida State tacked on another two-out run in the fifth inning as a free pass to Wootsen came back to bite UNC when Monica Montez doubled to the gap in left center, making the score 4-0 Seminoles.
Carolina picked up its first hit off May in the bottom half of the fifth, a one-out single through the left side from Anna Roberts, who ended up going 2-for-3 on the day. A two-out walk gave UNC two baserunners, but Wootson scooped up a ball hit up the middle and stepped on second base to retire the Tar Heels.
Danielle Spaulding replaced Norris for the top of the sixth but ran into the same trouble as Norris, giving up a pair of two-out runs to the Seminoles. This time it was another two-out walk and an error by centerfielder Breanna Brown that hurt the Tar Heels, who entered the bottom half trailing by six.
The Tar Heels couldn't muster any offense in the sixth, but did manage to mount a rally in the seventh. Two straight singles to start off the inning started the charge, and pinch-runner Ashley Oxendine came around to score on a throwing error by Alicart to finally put UNC on the board. Casey Testa followed with a monster two-run home run to left center that made the score 6-3 and cut the Carolina deficit to three. But Terese Gober came on in relief of May and recorded the final two outs of the inning to secure the win for FSU.
Carolina is now off until the ACC tournament, which begins May 10. The Tar Heels, the tournament's fifth seed, will square off against the Seminoles in their first game.
