University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
Tar Heels Fall Short In Regular Season Finale
April 27, 2014 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina came up short in its regular season finale Sunday as NC State took game three of the series, 4-2, to claim the series.
The Tar Heels made a late charge as they loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but they weren't able to push any runs across the plate for a comeback as Carolina dropped to 23-25 overall and 14-11 in ACC play.
"I'm disappointed with how the game ended," head coach Donna J. Papa said. "We put ourselves in a position to win the game, but that didn't happen. I'm proud of the job Lori Spingola and Sara Buchholz did today. Our pitching was on for us today, but we unfortunately didn't hit well and we weren't really sharp defensively. When we put it all together, we're a tough team, but we have to find a way to do that."
"I hate it for the seniors, because I'm so proud of what they've done for us all four years, and I wanted them to have a great memory of their last game at Anderson Stadium. Ashley Bone, Sara Buchholz, Amy Nece and Lori Spingola should all keep their heads high and be proud of what they've done, because I'm really proud of them and all they've done," Papa said.
Renada Davis put the Wolfpack on the board in the third with a leadoff solo home run out center field, but the Tar Heels answered with two runs in the bottom half.
Erin Satterfield sent a hard single up the middle to lead off the frame and moved around to third on two sacrifice bunts by Aquilla Mateen and Stephanie Krider. Amy Nece then made it safely to first on a bunt single, driving in Satterfield for the first run. After Kristen Brown was intentionally walked, Jenna Kelly hit an RBI single up the middle to drive in Nece for the second score.
After a pair of singles by Lana Van Dyken and Davis in the fifth, Hanna Sommer was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the Wolfpack. Leah Jones then singled through the right side, knocking in two runs. Jones moved to second after Chelsea Tate was hit by a pitch and then came home as Hannah Yeager dropped an RBI single into left, giving NC State the final 4-2 score.
Satterfield led off the bottom of the seventh with a single up the middle. After Kati Causey walked, a sacrifice bunt by Mateen advanced the runners to second and third before Brown drew her second intentional walk of the game to load the bases for UNC, but a final called strikeout ended the game before the Tar Heels could make a comeback.
Lori Spingola (17-14) pitched 5.2 innings in the loss, giving up six hits and three runs while fanning four batters. Sara Buchholz saw her first appearance of the year in the circle, tossing 1.1 innings with one run surrendered and one strikeout recorded.
Up Next: Carolina takes a short break from competition next weekend to focus on final exams. The Tar Heels are back in action at the 2014 ACC Softball Tournament, which will be held May 8-10 in College Park, Md. Find more information on the ACC Tournament here.
