University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Winthrop
No. 24 Tar Heels Take Both Games In Wednesday's Doubleheader With Winthrop
April 7, 2010 | Softball
April 7, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina was victorious in both games in today's doubleheader against Winthrop at Anderson Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. In the first game a two-run sixth inning Brittany McKinney home run propelled the Tar Heels to a 2-0 victory. In game two, home runs from Cara Vitale and Stephanie Murad helped Carolina edge the Eagles, 3-2. With today's games Carolina increases its record on the season to 29-13 and Winthrop falls to 20-16.
Game One
Danielle Spaulding (11-2), who was recently named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week (April 4th), received the start for Carolina in the first game of the doubleheader. Spaulding pitched all seven innings for the Tar Heels while not yielding a run and only allowing three hits. With today's seven shutout innings Spaulding increases her scoreless inning streak to 17 consecutive shutout innings.
In a pitcher's duel between Spaulding and Winthrop's Megan Evans (8-6) both teams remained scoreless and combined for only three hits through the first five innings of play.
Christine Knauer, who is batting .500 this year when leading off, started the sixth inning with a single to left field. During the next at bat, Knauer took off for second and successfully stole her 30th bag this season. A batter later, junior Brittany McKinney brought Knauer into score with a home run to center field. The two-run homer gave Carolina a 2-0 lead over the Eagles.
In the top of the seventh, Spaulding shut down Winthrop in order to give Carolina a win in the first game of the doubleheader, 2-0. Spaulding earned her 11th win this season
Game Two
Knauer, a senior from Long Island, N.Y., started the first inning with a single up the middle. Knauer, the ACC leader in stolen bases, took second base and gave Carolina a runner in scoring position to start the game offensively. Though the Tar Heels could not capitalize on the runner and left the inning 0-0.
Through the next three innings Carolina would only gather one hit and no runs as the score remained 0-0 through four innings.
In the bottom of the fifth with two outs, Knauer started a rally by singling up the middle and stealing second base. The next batter, freshman pinch hitter Cara Vitale, slammed her first home run of the season to left field. The two-out two-run home run gave Carolina a 2-0 lead over Winthrop.
Winthrop responded in the top of the sixth with two runs to tie up the game. Taylor Wright started the two-out rally with a single to right field. Kelly Blea brought in Wright with a hard-hit double to right-center and advanced to third on the throw. The next batter, Ashleigh Jackson, tied up the game, 2-2, with a RBI-single to right field.
In the bottom half of the frame senior Stephanie Murad gave Carolina the lead back, 3-2, with a home run to center field. Murad, a first baseman from Greenville, N.C., hit her third home run of the season on the first pitch from Winthrop's Cari Wooldridge (11-9).
Winthrop threatened by advancing a runner to third in the visitor half of the seventh but could not successfully move the runner in. With the runner stranded, Carolina wins game two of the doubleheader, 3-2.
Amber Johnson received the win for Carolina, which brings her record on the season to 17-11. Johnson struck out six batters and only allowed two runs on five hits against the Eagles.
Carolina resumes Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend with a three-game series in Chestnut Hill, Mass. against (10-18) Boston College. Game times are set for a doubleheader to start at noon Saturday and the final game at noon on Sunday. Tarheelblue.com will provide up-to-date stats and game recaps from all of this weekend's action.
