University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Northwestern
Tar Heels Drop Two at Big Ten/ACC Challenge
February 21, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina opened Saturday's doubleheader with an explosive back-and-forth battle on day two of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Tar Heels (3-6) came back from down 6-0 to Northwestern (5-3) to take an 8-6 lead, but eventually fell on a walk-off grand slam, 11-8. Illinois (5-3) then spoiled the night cap, defeating the Tar Heels, 4-1.
“Tough day,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “Some of the positives are that I thought that the girls came out and competed. We were down in that game early, 6-0. To fight back then have the lead going in to the seventh—a two run lead—says a lot about the character of the team. I think our girls did a great job battling back.
“I think our pitchers did a pretty good job, but Northwestern had a lot of two-out hits. Besides the ball going out of the park, when you have two-out hits and two-strike hits that's a no-no. I'm proud of how we battled the whole day. It's unfortunate that we didn't come away with at least one win.”
The Tar Heel pitching staff entered the day without having surrendered a home run all season, but Northwestern and Illinois combined for seven home runs over the course of the doubleheader, leaving the nearly flawless Tar Heel fielders unable to contribute.
“We hadn't given up any home runs as a pitching staff until today, and we gave up seven,” said Papa. “You can't defend balls that are over the fence.”
Carolina was patient at the plate, collecting 14 hits and eight walks, led by Kristen Brown, who went 3-for-6 with a walk, two runs and two RBIs. Additionally, the Tar Heels stole five bases on the day, with four swipes in a single inning against Northwestern including the first successful double steal of the weekend.
“Collectively as a team, we were hitting the ball hard and we were really executing all of our plays,” said Brown. “But at the end of the game, our opponents got the timely hits and we were just a little slow in that aspect.”
