University of North Carolina Athletics
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Northwestern
Tar Heels Walk Off on Wildcats, 5-2
February 20, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina softball gave the home crowd an exciting first glance at the 2016 season, as the Tar Heels went deep three times in the final two innings to defeat Northwestern, 5-2. The Wildcats (3-3) took a 2-0 lead in the fifth, but home runs by Kristen Brown, Berlynne Delamora and Lauren Fuller turned the tables to lead Carolina (3-4) to victory on opening night of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
“To be down in a game and battle and then win it with the long ball – of course Kristen is used to hitting those, but to have our freshman Berlynne lead off and get that home run, that was really special and huge for our team,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “Kiwi got a hit and then Lauren Fuller came in clutch – I was just so proud of the grit they had tonight and how they competed.”
Northwestern senior Amy Letourneau (2-2) carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth, until Brown went “downtown” with her 50th career home run, moving into seventh place all time in the ACC record books. The three-time All-Region pitcher finished the game with five earned runs on four hits, three of which were home runs, with five walks and 10 strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Junior Kendra Lynch started for the Tar Heels and allowed two runs on sixth hits and three walks with three strikeouts over the first four-and-a-third innings. Sydney Matzko then came in and hurled two and two-thirds innings of shutout relief, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts to pick up her first win of the season.
“I was really proud of our pitchers,” said Papa. “I thought Kendra did a great job. She was behind in the counts a lot but I thought she did a great job. And Sydney tonight was really great – the best she's been all season. She came in and she was all business. She really stepped up for us tonight and that's what we need.”
The first run of the game did not cross the plate until the top of the fifth inning, when Northwestern took a 2-0 lead. The Wildcats had a chance at more, but the Tar Heels threw two different runners out at the plate. Letourneau drove in the first run on a squeeze bunt, bringing home Morgan Nelson. Sammy Nettling then roped an RBI double to deep left, chasing Lynch from the mound. Matzko got the job done in relief, drawing a grounder to short to get the lead runner at the plate, then striking out Alcy Bush to end the inning.
Brown cut the Wildcats' lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, breaking up Letourneau's no-no with a leadoff home run to right field.
“She's a clutch player,” said Papa. “They definitely unintentionally-intentionally walked her after she hit that homerun, and they were probably smart to do that. But she's just a great hitter and she made some outstanding defensive plays. She's one of our leaders and she did her job.”
The Wildcats missed their shot at some insurance after stranding a leadoff double in the top of the seventh, still clinging to a one-run lead heading in the final half inning. Freshman Delamora, making her third start of the season, led off for the Tar Heels and after falling into an 0-2 hole in the count, she drilled a solo home run to straightaway center to tie the score at two runs apiece.
“It was unbelievable,” said Delamora after hitting her first collegiate home run. “I was going crazy as I saw it [go over]. I didn't actually know if it was going over, but once it did, I just went crazy.”
After a pair of outs, Aquilla Mateen kept the inning alive, roping a single off the first baseman to represent the go-ahead run. Northwestern pitched around Brown to get to Fuller, and the senior made the 'Cats pay, cranking a 3-2 pitch over the wall in right field for the first dinger of her career to win the game for Carolina, 5-2.
“We were never out of the game, and that's how we always want to play,” said Fuller. “We want to fight back and do whatever we can, one hit at a time. That's what we did at the end today.”
“It really shows our fight,” said Brown. “We're all in it until the last pitch. Coming off of a few losses that were heartbreaking shows that we're never going to give up.”
The Tar Heels were the second ACC team to win on the first day of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, as the Big Ten led 4-2 with two Friday night games still in play. The Challenge continues on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 10:30 a.m., when Northwestern takes on Boston College at Anderson Stadium. Carolina hits the field for the third game of the day 3:30 p.m. for a rematch with Northwestern, followed by a matchup with Illinois, who defeated Boston College earlier today.
