University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida International
Tar Heels, Spingola Blank FIU 6-0
February 26, 2011 | Softball
Feb. 26, 2011
CHAPEL HILL --- Lori Spingola tossed a six-hit shutout to lead North Carolina over FIU 6-0 Saturday afternoon at Anderson Stadium. Haleigh Dickey belted a two-run home run to improve UNC to 8-4 overall.
Spingola (7-3) struck out seven batters en route to her third shutout win of the week. The Atlanta, Ga., native scattered six hits and only issued one walk in the win.
Ally Blake led Carolina offensively with two hits and one RBI. Dickey added a two-RBI on her second home run of 2011. Kelli Wheeler and Dani Manko each posted a hit and RBI to round out the Tar Heel attack.
UNC took a 1-0 advantage early on a RBI double off the bat of Blake. The junior roped a line drive into left center field gap to score Tisha Mahon. Carolina owned a 1-0 lead after the first frame.
Spingola limited the Panther attack early posting a pair of strikeouts and leaving three runners on base. FIU threatened early in the first frame, but the freshman wriggled out of the inning with a fly out, ground out and pop out.
Carolina erupted for five runs on five hits in the fourth frame. Logan Foulks started the big inning with a single as Chelsey Butler entered in to pinch run. Butler proceeded to swipe second and third base before Manko ripped a RBI single to score the speedy sophomore.
After Manko stole second base, Wheeler knocked in the senior on RBI single to left field. Wheeler later advanced to third on a stolen base and scored on a RBI groundout off the bat of Cara Vitale.
lake kept the inning alive with a two-out single and Dickey highlighted the inning with a mammoth home run over the center field fence. The Tar Heels led 6-0 after plating five runs on five hits and four stolen bases.
Spingola allowed just three more hits in the final three frames to seal the win. The freshman has now tossed 17 shutout innings with 26 strikeouts in three starts this week.
UNC challenges St. Joseph's at 5:30 p.m. in their third game of the 2011 Carolina Classic.
