University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
Spaulding's Perfect Game Fuels 6-0 Win
May 8, 2008 | Softball
May 8, 2008
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Sophomore Danielle Spaulding lived up to her billing as the ACC Player of the Year on Thursday as she hurled the first perfect game in ACC Tournament history en route to leading the No. 13 Tar Heels (50-9-1) to a 6-0 win over Virginia in the opening round of the ACC Tournament in College Park, Md. Spaulding struck out nine batters in the gem while also going a perfect 2 for 2 at the plate with a run scored and a pair of RBIs. The perfect game is the first since Crystal Cox accomplished the feat against Elon in 2005. The Tar Heels will now take on the No. 5 seed NC State at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Spaulding opened the day on a perfect note as she struck out the side in the top of the first before getting a pair of pop outs and a line out in the second. A pop out to shortstop Christine Knauer opened the third before Spaulding picked up a strikeout looking and a groundout to Knauer to end the inning. The top of the fourth featured a pair of outstanding defensive plays from Knauer and leftfielder Whitney Allen. Following Spaulding's fifth strikeout of the game Virginia's Alison Pittman hit a dying liner over Alyssa Francona's head at third that Knauer laid out for and caught for the second out of the inning. Allen came up with an even bigger sliding catch to close out the fourth and keep the perfect game intact.
Francona came up with a pair of solid stops at third in the fifth inning with a groundout and a line out before Spaulding tallied another strikeout to end the frame. A foul out and another pair of strikeouts moved the sixth along quickly, giving Spaulding a chance at history. The Fontana, Calif. native opened the seventh with her ninth strikeout of the game before fielding her position with a ground out for out number two. Sarah Tacke got a good piece of Spaulding's 2-2 offering but Tacke hit it right at Breanna Brown in center for the third and final out.
Carolina got on the board early as Emily Troup tallied a run-scoring fielder's choice in the bottom of the first inning. Senior Cassie Palmer started things off by lacing a double down the left field line before making a heads up play on the base paths by forcing the Virginia catcher to throw behind her allowing Palmer to swipe third. Back-to-back walks to Danielle Spaulding and Jennifer Jacobs loaded the bases for Troup who hit the first pitch she saw to shortstop scoring Palmer and putting the Tar Heels up 1-0.
The Tar Heels tacked on another run in the bottom of the third with three consecutive singles as Jennifer Jacobs came up with the run-scoring single before Carolina piled on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Lisa Norris led off the inning with a single over the shortstop's head before being replaced on the base paths by Ashley Oxendine. Alyssa Francona followed with a sharply hit groundball back up the middle that Carly Winger fielded with a diving stop before she flipped it to Kierstie Cameron who dropped the ball at second putting runners at first and second with nobody out.
Bree Ensminger followed with a grounder to short that Winger threw over the first baseman's head allowing Oxendine to score. With runners on second and third and still nobody out back-to-back groundouts put a pair of quick outs on the board. Danielle Spaulding stepped to the plate and delivered the big blow in the fourth as she drilled a ball over the leftfielder's head scoring both Ensminger and Francona. Jacobs would make it 6-0 as she hit a ball inside the first base bag that scored Spaulding from second easily and gave Carolina a comfortable lead.
The Tar Heels will take on the No. 5 seed NC State game at 3 p.m. on Friday.
