University of North Carolina Athletics
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No. 15 Carolina Claims 3-1 Win Over NC State
April 20, 2008 | Softball
April 20, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 15 North Carolina fell behind 1-0 early in Sunday's game against NC State but quickly answered with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the first to claim the 3-1 victory at Anderson Stadium. Amber Johnson picked up the win in the circle as she struck out nine in the contest. Whitney Allen came up with the big hit in the first when she drove in a pair of runs with a single to give the Tar Heels their first sweep over NC State in school history. With the win Carolina improves to 45-8-1 on the year, including an ACC-best 16-1 in conference play, while NC State falls to 27-23 overall and 8-10 in the ACC.
NC State's Shanna Smith led off the game by lacing a single through the left side before swiping second to put herself in scoring position. Johnson was able to strike out the next batter before issuing a walk and a wild pitch that put runners at the corners. A sharply hit ground ball to third forced Alyssa Francona to come home with the ball in an attempt to cut down Smith but the Wolfpack senior was able to avoid the tag and give NC State an early 1-0 advantage. Johnson bounced back by forcing a fly out and ground out to end the inning and keep the deficit at just one.
ack-to-back groundouts to start the bottom of the first made it appear that the momentum may have shifted to NC State. A bouncing ball to the second baseman off the bat of Danielle Spaulding was misplayed and kept the Tar Heels' hopes of tying the game in the first alive. Ashley Oxendine came on to pinch run for Spaulding and moved to second when Emily Troup drew a four-pitch walk to put a pair of runners on for Jennifer Jacobs. The senior outfielder hit a high chopper that got over the head of pitcher Lindsay Campana to load the bases for Whitney Allen. Campana lost control of a pitch during the at bat allowing Oxendine to race home from third to score the game-tying run. Allen then delivered the go ahead runs when she laced a single past the diving first baseman and into right field to plate both Troup and Jacobs and give Johnson a lead once she returned to the circle.
Johnson would bounce back from the shaky first by setting the side down in order in the second, fourth and fifth innings. The Wolfpack picked up just three more hits after the first but all of them came when there were two outs already on the board. Johnson struck out nine batters in the game as she improved to 13-1 on the year with the victory.
The Tar Heels were only able to manage one more hit after the first, a Troup double, but were able to hold on for the 3-1 win and the fifth-consecutive ACC series sweep. With the win Carolina earned its 16th ACC victory of the year, the most in school history, and will need just one win over Virginia Tech next weekend to claim the ACC Regular Season Championship. But before the battle with nationally-ranked Virginia Tech the Tar Heels will travel to Rock Hill, S.C. on Wednesday to play Winthrop in a doubleheader.
