University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
James Madison
Softball Survives Early Scare, Tops James Madison, 5-1
February 28, 2010 | Softball
Feb. 28, 2010
Chapel Hill --- The No. 23/25 North Carolina Tar Heels survived an early scare to best the James Madison Dukes, 5-1, in the Championship Game of the Tar Heel Invitational. Senior pitcher Danielle Spaulding held James Madison to only one run and the Tar Heel bats came alive late to give Carolina its tenth win this season.
North Carolina almost put a run on the board early when Christine Knauer reached first on an infield hit and quickly stole second base. She was advanced to third on an Anna Roberts infield grounder to the second baseman. Carolina could not take advantage of the early scoring threat and left the inning scoreless.
James Madison pitcher Cara Stecher was clearly on her game today and stagnated the Tar Heel offense, holding Carolina without a run for the first four innings.
For the Tar Heels, Danielle Spaulding fresh off of two consecutive no-hitters, drew the start. Immediately she went after the Dukes' hitters, striking out four in the first two innings. In the fourth inning, James Madison finally caught up with Spaulding, as Jasmine Butler reached first with an infield hit. The hit broke up 14 consecutive innings of no-hit ball from Spaulding.
Another of Spaulding's amazing streaks also came to an end tonight when second baseman Caitlen Manning took a Spaulding pitch over the right field fence for a solo home run. The earned run ended a streak of 28 consecutive shutout innings this season for the senior pitcher.
In a game of ended streaks, one continued for Spaulding as she has struck out double-digit batters in now five consecutive starts. To continue the streak, she rung up the final James Madison batter on a pitch on the outside corner giving her ten for the game.
The Manning home run gave the Dukes a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. For the first time in the Tar Heel Invitational, Carolina trailed. While most of the fans tensed up with the deficit, the team stayed loose and remained confident they would respond. And respond they did.
The inning started with a Brittany McKinney walk. The freshman speedster Tisha Mahon was entered in the game to pinch run for McKinney. Mahon wasted no time and stole second (Mahon is now a perfect 8-8 on stolen base attempts this season). The next batter, Constance Orr, worked the count and drew a walk. A Stephanie Murad hit to right field loaded the bases for freshman pinch hitter Haleigh Dickey. Dickey blooped a single over the shortstop's head knocking in Mahon and tied the game at 1-1. Later in the inning, with two outs, Anna Roberts doubled down the left field line, knocking in Orr and Murad, to increase the Tar Heel lead 3-1.
After a scoreless top half of the inning from James Madison, junior third baseman Brittany Robinson crushed a ball to right center for a two-run home run. The home run effectively put the game out of reach as Danielle Spaulding held the Dukes without a run in the seventh to win the Tar Heel Invitational for North Carolina.
The win brings the Heels' record up to 10-3 and gives them two tournament victories after last week's 8-0 win over Saint Joseph's in the Carolina Classic. UNC next faces Radford in a home doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m. After the Radford game, Carolina leaves for California to participate in the DeMarini Invitational in Fullerton.
2010 Tar Heel Invitational All-Tournament Team
Fairfield
Dani Griswold
Pittsburgh
Kristen Cheesebrew
Holly Stevens
James Madison
Shannon Moxey
Katie Spitzer
Jasmine Butler
UNC
Most Outstanding Player - Danielle Spaulding, UNC
