University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
No. 16 Tar Heels Fall To Georgia Tech
March 21, 2010 | Softball
March 21, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ninth-ranked Georgia Tech scored five runs on a pair of homers and didn't allow a hit in handing No. 16 North Carolina a 5-0 softball loss on Sunday afternoon at Anderson Stadium. The Tar Heels fell to 20-8 overall and 3-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with the defeat, while the Yellow Jackets improved to 24-4 overall and 2-1 in the ACC after taking two of three from UNC in the weekend series.
The teams split their doubleheader on Saturday, with Georgia Tech winning the first 16-1 and UNC taking the second 8-3.
"I'm definitely disappointed in the outcome," UNC coach Donna J. Papa said. "We had a tough game against them yesterday and then we bounced back and got nine hits (in the win). So today was the rubber game of the match and the opportunity to win the series. To not get any hits is just really disappointing. Not to take anything away from their pitcher - she did a great job of keeping us off balance. We hit some hard, but didn't get a hit."
Georgia Tech went ahead for good in the top of the first, when shortstop Kelsi Weseman, batting in the five spot with two outs, homered over the left field fence to score second baseman Jen Yee and pitcher Hope Rush, both of whom had reached on walks.
The Yellow Jackets sat on the 3-0 lead until the top of the seventh, when Yee hit a home run over the centerfield fence to score centerfielder Christy Jones and boost her team's lead to 5-0.
Rush improved to 12-3 with the no-hitter, in which she struck out four and walked four. Carolina senior Amber Johnson (12-6) went all seven innings for UNC, striking out six, walking four and giving up five run on seven hits. "I want to give Amber a lot of credit for going out there and gutting it out," Papa said. "A lot of it rested on her shoulders. I thought overall she did a great job."
Neither team committed an error in the game.
The loss marked the second time this season that UNC has been no-hit, with the first coming on Feb. 12 at Texas in a 1-0, eight-inning loss in the second game of the season. On the year, the Tar Heels are averaging 6.4 hits per game.
"We told the girls this weekend the key to us winning was scoring runs and getting hits," Papa said. "Against a team like Georgia Tech you have to because they can just get out there and with one swing take it over the fence."
Next up for the Tar Heels is a doubleheader at Charlotte on Tuesday. The team hosts UNC Wilmington on Thursday before returning to ACC play next weekend with a three-game series against NC State. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack will meet for an Anderson Stadium doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
