University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Illinois
Tar Heels Slug Past Illini in Challenge Finale
February 21, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Carolina went yard three times, including two long balls by senior Kristen Brown, to top the Illini, 9-2, in the the Big Ten/ACC Challenge finale. Four different Tar Heels had multi-hit performances, as Carolina put up 12 hits as a team. With the win, UNC finishes the weekend with a 4-6 record, while Illinois drops to 5-4 on the season.
“I think the game went really well, especially bouncing off of the two losses yesterday,” said Brown. “We fought back, and the pitching was great. Kendra [Lynch] threw a great game. She made it easy for us to make good plays, because there were a bunch of ground balls. Tracy [Chandless] led us off with that big home run and got the momentum going, so that was pretty awesome. Everyone collectively did their job.”
Kristen Brown had a fantastic all-around performance, driving in five runs on two home runs, while making several flashy plays at shortstop. Tracy Chandless jumpstarted the offense with her first home run of the season, while Aquilla Mateen was also 2-for-3 with an RBI double. Freshman Leah Murray was the fourth Tar Heel with two hits in the game, connecting for two singles for the second-straight game.
“It's huge,” said head coach Donna J. Papa after the victory. “Especially after yesterday. Yesterday was so tough. I thought we fought yesterday, but we didn't get the results. Today at the beginning of the game, I felt like we were waiting for something or somebody to do something and not really anyone was stepping up and taking it into their own hands. I think when Tracy hit that home run that was really big. She kind of got our offense to go 'woo.' After that, we got a couple of other hits. I know Kiwi [Mateen] had a good hit, but once that door opens, it's like everybody breathes and is like, 'Oh yeah, we can do this.' We just needed that.
“I thought KB was phenomenal. Defensively, she made that one inning 'The KB Show.' That ball that she caught over in foul territory, that was just a great effort. She made some outstanding defensive plays and she was a monster at the plate. Kristen can hit home runs and she can put the ball in play. She just has a great approach at the plate all the time.”
Kendra Lynch (3-3) went the distance in the circle, allowing just two runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Illinois used three pitchers in the game, with Breanna Wonderly (2-2) going the first four-and-a-third innings but allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. Kate Giddens followed with the next inning and a third, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks, then Taylor Edwards, making her first career appearance, surrendered the final run on three hits over an inning and a third.
“Having rest, coming back fresh, Kendra really did a nice job mixing her pitches,” said Papa. “They had some good hitters, but we shut them down. She did better hitting her spots, and we made a lot of plays behind her.”
The first half of the game was a veritable pitchers' duel, as Illinois put the first run across in the bottom of the fourth. Allie Bauch led off the inning with a triple, but was thrown out at the plate by Berlynne Delamora on a grounder to third. However, a wild pitch allowed Annie Fleming to get to second, and Remeny Perez drove her home with a single to shallow center.
Chandless tied the game with one swing in the top of the fifth, driving an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right center. Dani Garcielita singled through the right side, then Mateen found the gap in left center for an RBI double to give Carolina the lead. Brown then crushed a two-run shot well over the wall in left to make it 4-1. Carolina kept the rally going by loading the bases on a walk and two singles, then Delamora came through with a single through the right side. Destiny DeBerry scored, but both Katie Bailiff and Murray got themselves caught in a run down to end the inning with a 5-1 Carolina lead.
The Tar Heels added to their lead in the top of the sixth, as Chandless walked and Mateen beat out a bunt single, then Brown went yard once again for her 52nd career home run to make it 8-1.
Illinois got one back in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Fleming, driving in Bauch who had led off with a single.
Murray replied with a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, and after Chandless' second hit of the game got her to third, Murray came in to score on a pinch hit sacrifice fly by Jillian Ferraro.
Lynch needed just five pitches in the bottom of the seventh to seal up her third complete-game victory, as Carolina ended the weekend with a 9-2 final.
“The whole weekend we fought,” said Brown. “The pitchers did really well. The hitters did really well. We know we can do it, so each game going into the future we're just going to be confident and take these past wins in our memory and just go forward with that.”
The Tar Heels hit the road for a midweek clash with UNC Greensboro on Wednesday, Feb. 24, before returning home next weekend to host the Carolina Classic.
