University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
State Out-Homers Carolina In 7-2 Slide
March 17, 2016 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL – Five balls left the ballpark on Wednesday night as NC State and Carolina scored all of their runs off homers, but it was NC State who connected with runners on base, as the Wolfpack defeated North Carolina, 7-2, in a nonconference midweek rivalry game. The win lifts State to 13-11, while UNC drops to 13-12.
Kendra Lynch and Taylor Wike led off the second inning with back-to-back home runs, but they would prove the only Tar Heels to cross the plate. Kristen Brown went 2-for-4, and Katie Bailiff, Aquilla Mateen and Destiny DeBerry all singled, but none were able to come through with an RBI.
Hannah Yeager hit a two-run shot in the second, before the Tar Heels tied the score with back-to-back jacks by Lynch and Wike in the bottom half. Molly Hutchison took the lead back with a two-run shot in the third, then Maggie Hawkins put the game away with a three-run homer in the fourth, as NC State defeated UNC, 7-2.
Lynch (11-9) tossed the full seven innings, allowing six earned runs on 12 hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Courtney Mirabella (9-4) went the distance for State, limiting UNC to two runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Carolina returns to action this weekend with a trip to Pittsburgh for its first ACC road series of the season. UNC and Pitt open with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 19, at 1 p.m., while the finale is slated for Sunday at Noon.
