North Carolina
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Mississippi State
Carolina Overpowers Mississippi State, 8-2
March 13, 2011 | Softball
March 13, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. - North Carolina defeated Mississippi State, 8-2, early Sunday afternoon in their final contest of the 2011 ACC/SEC Easton Challenge. Haleigh Dickey led the Tar Heels at the plate with four RBIs on three hits.
Carolina's Lori Spingola (13-7), was effective in the circle for UNC, tossing a complete-game one-hitter to pick up the win. The freshman ace went seven innings, yielding two runs on one hit and fanned ten MSU batters.
Dickey continued her success in the batter's box against MSU, belting her second home run against the Bulldogs in as many games. The three-run shot gave the Tar Heels a 3-0 advantage after one.
The Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the second as Brittany Gates knocked a two-run home run down the right field line. Gates' first career home run pared the Carolina lead to 3-2.
Kelli Wheeler and Dickey both notched RBI singles in the fifth frame, extending Carolina's lead. Kelsey Green led off with a single up the middle and Dani Manko moved her into scoring position with a double to right field. Wheeler then lined a ball to left field to bring home Green. After Manko crossed the plate on a throwing error by Bulldogs' leftfielder, Dickey singled up the middle, scoring Wheeler and giving Carolina a 6-2 advantage.
The Tar Heels tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning as freshman Jordan Scarboro lined a two RBI single to right center field.
The victory over the Bulldogs brings Carolina's record to 16-10 and marks the end of North Carolina's southeast road trip, where they have played ten games in ten days.
The Tar Heels have a week off as they turn their attention to the regular season with Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, Virginia Tech, coming to Chapel Hill March 19-20. North Carolina kicks off the series against the Hokies with a double header Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. at Anderson Stadium.
