University of North Carolina Athletics
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Florida
No. 5 Florida Clips No. 22 Carolina 3-0
February 19, 2011 | Softball
Feb. 19, 2011
GAINESVILLE, FLA. -- Stephanie Brombacher tossed a five-hit shutout leading No. 5 Florida past No. 22 North Carolina 3-0 Saturday afternoon in game one of a doubleheader at Pressly Stadium. Kelli Wheeler posted two hits to pace Carolina, who falls to 4-2 with the loss.
rombacher (5-0) struck out seven, allowing five hits and rendering just one walk in the complete game effort. The Gators manufactured all their runs via the home run.
Lori Spingola (4-2) allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of work. The Atlanta, Ga., native fanned three, but issued three walks.
Offensively, Wheeler led UNC with a 2-for-3 performance. Chelsey Butler, Ally Blake and Dani Manko all registered a hit apiece. Carolina struggled to manufacture runs, leaving a total of seven runners on base.
The Gators darted out to a 1-0 lead after Michelle Moultrie's leadoff home run. The left-hander cranked the 2-1 offering from Spingola down the right field line to give Florida a one-run advantage. Spingola settled in to retire the next three batters.
Carolina threatened in the third frame with back-to-back singles off the bats of Manko and Butler, but failed to manufacture a run. Brombacher struck out the side preserving the Gators' one-run lead. The Tar Heels left three on base in the early innings.
The Tar Heels found their best opportunity to score in the fourth frame. Wheeler laced a double off the right center field wall and advanced to third on a balk. UNC had runners at the corners with one out, but again could not advance a runner across the plate.
Florida added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring two runs on one hit. Brittany Schutte drew a one-out walk leading to a two-run home run off the bat of Megan Bush. The blast from Bush stretched the Florida lead to 3-0 after four innings of play.
The Tar Heels stranded two more runners in the top of the sixth. Blake and Wheeler reached on singles, but Brombacher escaped the frame again unscathed. The senior tossed a perfect seventh to seal the win for Florida.
Carolina and Florida continue their series at 3 p.m. Saturday from Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. The series finale will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
