University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Long Beach State
Softball Slugs Past LBSU, Falls to Cal
March 5, 2016 | Softball
Fullerton, Calif. – The Tar Heels began day two of the Judi Garman Classic with an exciting 7-5 victory over Long Beach State, but fell to California in the night cap, 8-0. UNC finished the day with a 9-8 season record, while LBSU fell to 11-8 and Cal improved to 10-6.
Senior Lauren Fuller led the Tar Heels at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a walk and collecting two hits in each game. Tracy Chandless, Kristen Brown and Kendra Lynch all hit home runs against Long Beach State, and Lynch recorded her seventh victory of the season with a complete-game effort against the 49ers.
Game 1: North Carolina 7, Long Beach State 5
In the first game of the day, Carolina outlasted a resilient Long Beach State team, using three home runs to top the 49ers, 7-5. Seemingly every time UNC would take a lead, LBSU would come right back and tie the score, but a seventh-inning home run by Tracy Chandless sealed the victory for the Tar Heels.
Seven different Tar Heels had hits in the game, including two each by Chandless, Kendra Lynch, Lauren Fuller and Erin Satterfield. Lynch was the first Heel to go yard, and Kristen Brown hit her seventh long ball of the season in fifth inning.
Lynch (7-4) went the distance in the circle for the Tar Heels, allowing 10 hits and five runs with four strikeouts. Christina Clermont got the start for LBSU, but was benched after allowing the first run of the game on four hits without a walk and three strikeouts in three-and-a-third innings. Cielo Meza (5-5) replaced her, but gave up six runs, four earned, on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in the final 3.2 innings.
Lynch rounded the bases in the top of the second, lacing a leadoff home run over the wall in right center to give UNC an early 1-0 lead.
Haley Tobler tied the game in the bottom of the third by launching a solo home run to nearly the same exact spot as Lynch's, knotting the score at one.
The Tar Heels had a chance to take a large lead in the top of the fourth, loading the bases thanks to hits by Lynch and Fuller and a walk issued to Chandless. New pitcher Meza struck out Sherlund for a key second out, then Delamora stepped in and clocked a high fly ball deep to left field. The crowd came to their feet, but left fielder Tobler reached over the wall and made the catch to rob the rookie third baseman of a grand slam, ending the inning still tied at one.
Kristen Brown did not allow the right fielder to repeat her teammate's feat crushing a two-run shot deep to right in the top of the fifth to put UNC back in front, 3-1.
The 49ers tied the score in the bottom of the fifth, as Darian Tautalafua came through with a bases-loaded, two-out double, but the Carolina defense nailed Nichole Fry at the plate to end the inning and keep Beach from taking a lead.
Carolina took back the lead once again in the top of the sixth, as Fuller and Chandless led off with a single and a walk. The Tar Heels struggled to get the ball out of the infield, as the next two batters grounded to the left side and allowed Beach to get the lead runner at third, but Satterfield then hit a pop fly to shallow left. The shortstop and left fielder collided and could not come up with the catch, allowing Sherlund to score. Jillian Ferraro then added an insurance run with a pinch-hit RBI single to right, making it 5-3 UNC.
LBSU cut the Tar Heels' lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, as Lauren MacLeod hit a solo home run to center to make it 5-4. Tierra Falo kept the inning going with a two-out double off the top of the wall in left center, but a great play by Brown on a ball going up the middle stranded her on second.
Tracy Chandless gave Lynch a cushion in the top of the seventh, connecting for at two-run home run down the left field line to make it 7-4 UNC headed into the final three outs.
The 49ers refused to go quietly, putting together a two-out rally to score one run and bring the go-ahead run to the plate. However, Delamora made a nice play on a slow roller to third for the final out, as Carolina held on to defeat LBSU, 7-5.
Game 2: California 8, North Caroina 0 (6 inn.)
The Tar Heels struggled in the second game of the day, as California put together 12 hits to defeat UNC, 8-0, in six innings. Lauren Fuller once again had a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 at the plate, while Destiny DeBerry extended her team-leading hitting streak to eight straight games. Leah Murray singled and walked in her only two plate appearances, and Kristen Brown registered the final hit to reach base safely in her 20th straight game.
Kendra Lynch (7-5) got the start once again for Carolina but had a short leash, leaving after recording just one out having surrendered three runs on three hits and a walk. Lauren Fuller tossed the remaining five-and-a-third innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Kourtney Shaw (3-1) went the distance for Cal, allowing five hits and a walk over six shutout innings with five strikeouts. Cal left fielder Jazmyn Jackson led the game by going 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, while Kobie Pettis also collected three hits in the game.
The Bears did not waste any time, stringing together three hits to score three runs in the bottom of the first and chase Lynch from the circle just 30 minutes after she had completed the game against LBSU.
California tacked on four more in the bottom of the fourth with the help of a double steal and a two-run home run by Taurie Pogue.
Taylor Koenig ended the game in the bottom of the sixth, using an RBI single to drive in Jazmyn Jackson and give Cal an 8-0 victory.
The Tar Heels return to the Titan Sports Complex for the conclusion of the Judi Garman Classic on Sunday, March 6. UNC begins the day at 9 a.m. PT (Noon ET) against Oregon State then ends the weekend by taking on the tournament host, Cal State Fullerton, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET).
