University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
BYU
No. 13 Carolina Falls In NCAA Opener, 3-0
May 15, 2008 | Softball
May 15, 2008
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 13 North Carolina dropped a 3-0 decision to BYU to open up the NCAA Regional opening round Thursday at Anderson Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. BYU's Angeline Quiocho connected on a three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning to propel the Cougars past the Tar Heels as Carolina will now take on Campbell at 3:30 p.m. on Friday in an elimination contest.
Sophomore Danielle Spaulding opened the game with a quick 1-2-3 inning as she set the first three batters she faced all down on strikes. The Carolina offense could not get much going in the opening two frames as the Tar Heels sent just six batters to the plate against BYU's Christina Gwyn Trice. The Tar Heels were able to put a rally together in the bottom of the third with Bree Ensminger leading off the inning with a single over the shortstop's head and into left field. An Anna Roberts sacrifice bunt moved Ensminger to second with just one out for third baseman Alyssa Francona.
Francona came through with a single to center field but not deep enough to score Ensminger from second as head coach Donna J. Papa held the freshman catcher up at third. The Cougar centerfielder came up firing and sailed a throw over the catcher's head allowing Francona to move to second and give Ensminger a chance to score. Ensminger charged down the line but Trice was there to feed her catcher and nail the runner at home keeping the score knotted at 0-0.
Spaulding continued to cruise until the top of the sixth when she hit a bump in the road. The Cougars put the leadoff batter on with a bunt single that stopped atop the first base foul line. A fly out to right fielder Anna Roberts would put the first out on the board before a base on balls put runners on first and second for Angeline Quiocho. The sophomore third baseman crushed her 18th home run of the year to dead center as she sat back on a 1-2 changeup. The three-run homer pushed the Tar Heels into a deep hole that they were unable to climb out of.
Alyssa Francona tallied her second single of the day, this time through the left side, to get a runner on base with just one out in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back groundouts would end the threat however as the Tar Heels were facing defeat within three outs. Spaulding led off the seventh by drawing a walk on just five pitches before being replaced by speedy freshman Dani Manko at first base. Manko would not last long on the base paths as Jennifer Jacobs hit a bouncing ball back to the pitcher that was quickly fired to second and then on to first for a double play. Whitney Allen attempted to get a two-out rally going with a single back up the middle but a strikeout by Emily Troup would end any chance of a Tar Heel comeback.
Spaulding finished the game with 14 strikeouts but it was not enough as she took just her third loss of the year and now holds a 16-3 mark in 2008.
With the loss Carolina drops to 50-11-1 on the year and 6-13 all time in NCAA Tournament play. The Tar Heels will face off against Campbell at 3:30 p.m. on Friday as the Fighting Camels fell to Georgia in the tournament opener by a 9-0 margin in a five-inning affair. Carolina is 2-0 against Campbell in 2008 as the duo of Lisa Norris and Danielle Spaulding twirled back-to-back no-hitters.
