University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Longwood
No. 18 Tar Heels Take Down Longwood, Fordham
March 18, 2009 | Softball
March 18, 2009
Longwood Box Score | Fordham Box Score
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Lisa Norris tossed a no hitter in the opening game of a split doubleheader Wednesday as the No. 18 Tar Heels took game one over Longwood 6-0 before slugging out a 12-6 win over Fordham in the nightcap. The Tar Heels improved to 23-7 on the season with the pair of wins as Longwood falls to 9-12 overall and Fordham drops to 16-9 on the year. The Tar Heels will return to Atlantic Coast Conference action on Saturday when they head to College Park, Md. to take on Maryland in a three-game series beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Norris struck out 14 in the opener as she twirled her fifth career no hitter and her second of the year. The Snellville, Ga., native allowed just three runners to reach on the day on a pair of walks and an error in the seven inning shutout.
The Tar Heels were held in check by Briana Wells until the bottom of the fourth when they struck for four runs thanks in large part to Breanna Brown's bases clearing triple.
A bases loaded walk by Kelli Wheeler started the scoring giving Carolina a 1-0 lead before Brown drove a pitch over the right fielder's head and into the right field corner scoring Christine Knauer, Ally Blake and Kelsey Green giving Norris all the help she would need.
Single runs in the fifth and sixth innings would provide the final pair of runs for the Tar Heels as Norris improved to 11-4 on the year with the no hitter. Brown added a double earlier in the game to pace the Tar Heels at the plate with a 2 for 4 day at the plate, while Whitney Allen added a pair of hits as well.
The second game of the day set up as one of the top pitching duels in the country as Carolina sent 2008 All-America Danielle Spaulding to the cirlce and Fordham countered with reigning National Player of the Week Jen Mineau. The battle failed to live up to its billing as the hurlers combined to allow four hits and six walks apiece as Carolina was able to outslug the Rams by a 12-6 margin.
The Tar Heels struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first as Anna Roberts and Emily Troup tallied RBI singles to gain a quick advantage. Fordham struck for four runs in the top of the third as Jocelyn Dearborn tallied a three run triple after Melissa Andrews drove in a run with a single earlier in the inning.
Carolina answered the four run onslaught with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to knot things up at 4-4 when Anna Roberts tallied her second homer of the year a two-run shot to left center. The Tar Heels picked up a pair of runs without recording a hit in the bottom of the fourth when Spaulding recorded an RBI groundout before a bases loaded strike out passed ball scored Brown from third.
A five-run fifth sealed it for the Tar Heels who picked up 11 hits on the day to go along with 12 runs for the 12-6 win. Anna Roberts led the Tar Heel attack at the plate going 3 for 4 with four RBIs on the day, while Whitney Allen tacked on three RBIs to go along with a pair of runs scored. Spaulding held on for the win striking out 11 for her ninth win of the season.
The Tar Heels will return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. when they take on Maryland in College Park in a doubleheader before a single contest on Sunday.
