University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Boston College
Tar Heels Sweep Doubleheader At Boston College
April 9, 2016 | Softball
CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. – Three different Tar Heels hit home runs on Saturday to lead UNC to a doubleheader sweep at Boston College. Carolina came from behind in the series opener to score six runs in the final two innings and win, 6-2. The Tar Heels edge BC, 4-3, in the nightcap to clinch the ACC series victory and put themselves in position to go for their first ACC sweep of the season. At the end of the day, UNC improved to 22-18 (7-7 ACC), while Boston College fell to 19-15 (3-5 ACC).
“On the road, to sweep a doubleheader, that's a big deal,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “We came back in the first game from being down. Lauren Fuller's bat, Kendra's bat, KB's, they did some great things.
“Our pitching and some of our defense were the highlights. We had to really work for our runs. We really needed these two wins to put ourselves in a better position in the ACC. Boston College is having a good year this year, and those were two big wins for us. We've won two doubleheaders on back-to-back weeks, which is outstanding.”
Late Home Runs Lead UNC To 6-2 Victory In Series Opener
Boston College held UNC off the scoreboard for the first five innings, but home runs by Kendra Lynch and Lauren Fuller in the final two frames led the Tar Heels to a comeback victory, 6-2.
Lynch and Fuller led the Tar Heels at the plate, as Lynch went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and a two-run home run, and Fuller doubled, homered and drove in three runs. Taylor Wike and Berlynne Delamora both singled and scored, and Delamora added two walks while Wike had a sacrifice bunt.
Lynch earned her 18th victory in the circle, allowing just one earned run on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts over the full seven innings. Jessica Dreswick (8-5) pitched the first five innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks. Allyson Frei made the final six outs of the game, but allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks. Both Eagle pitchers had two strikeouts.
Catcher Tatiana Cortez stifled the Tar Heels' run game, throwing out two runners stealing and picking off a Heel at first, but Leah Murray's sixth-inning steal catalyzed Carolina's go-ahead run.
After a quiet first half of the game, Boston College finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Cortez drew a walk, then Jordan Chimento ripped an RBI double down the left field line and took third when the throw to the plate skipped away towards the backstop. Annie Murphy then followed with an RBI single to left to make it 2-0 Eagles.
Carolina squandered a scoring chance in the top of the fifth, as Katie Bailiff led off on first but pinch runner Kiana Sherlund was picked off. Aquilla Mateen and Destiny DeBerry then followed with a single and a fielder's choice, and a sacrifice bunt by Wike put two runners in scoring position, but Kristen Brown flied out to strand the pair.
After tossing a perfect bottom of the fifth, Lynch tied the score in the top of the sixth, drilling a two-run home run to left center. Fuller kept the inning going with a double to the gap, then Murray put runners on the corners with a bunt single down the first base line. Murray stole second and Cortez, who had previously gunned down three Tar Heels in the game, airmailed the throw into right center, as pinch runner Erin Satterfield hustled in from third to give UNC a 3-2 lead. Allyson Frei replaced Dreswick in the circle and retired the next three straight, but the damage had already been done.
A one-out double by Cortez in the bottom of the sixth gave the Eagles a chance to tie the score, but Murray laid out for a diving catch in right center to end the inning and strand two.
Another Carolina home run added some insurance in the top of the seventh. Wike led off with a single and Brown followed with a walk. Brown ran herself into a double play on a foul fly to right, but Frei pitched around Lynch then Fuller clocked her second career home run, scoring three, to make it 6-2 Tar Heels.
The Eagles got a pair of runners on with singles in the bottom of the seventh, but Lynch drew three ground balls to end the game and seal up her 18th victory of the season.
Tar Heels Clinch Series With 4-3 Decision In Nightcap
A two-run home run by Kristen Brown put UNC on the board, and aggressive base running in the fifth sealed the win for the Tar Heels, who outlasted Boston College, 4-3, to clinch the series victory.
Carolina was limited to just three hits in the game, but UNC was able to score two runs without putting a ball in play in the fifth inning to retake the lead. Brown reached base all three times, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run. Her trot around the bases was the 61st of her career, moving into a tie for second all time in ACC history, just four shy of the all-time record. Additionally, she crossed the plate for the 168th time in her career, tying UNC's all time career scoring record.
Berlynne Delamora had Carolina's only other base hit in the game. Taylor Wike walked and scored twice, and Aquilla Mateen was hit by a pitch and stole three bases in one inning, including home.
Lauren Fuller (2-1) got the start in the circle for UNC and picked up her second straight win off three runs and seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts over the first 4.1 innings. Kendra Lynch allowed a hit to the first batter she faced, then retired the next eight straight to earn her first career save with three strikeouts over the final 2.2 innings.
“Lauren and Kendra did their jobs today,” said Papa. “They complemented each other, so I was really pleased. Lauren has a lot of confidence. She goes in and gets the job done. Her home run was clutch. She had two strikes on her, but she got to that ball and met it square and it went over, and that was the big difference in the game. Then she came out and did a good job on the mound. She really threw their hitters off. They were out in front a lot. She kept the ball around the plate. She had one taken out of the park, but that's one of their best hitters. If that's all that's going to happen, she gives us a chance in our games.”
Despite holding UNC to just three hits, Allyson Frei (11-9) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on four walks and three hit batters with nine strikeouts.
Kristen Brown opened the scoring in the top of the third, launching an opposite field home run to put two on the board for Carolina.
An RBI double by Megan Cooley cut UNC's lead in half in the bottom of the third, driving in Danielle Thomas, who had hit an infield single. Tatiana Cortez then drilled a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score at two.
Carolina used aggressive base running to take the lead back in the top of the fifth. Mateen was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning then stole second and third base. Wike walked, then caught the BC defense not paying attention and stole second. As soon as Cortez threw down, Mateen took off for home, and Wike trucked it around to third. Brown walked on a ball in the dirt, and Wike crossed the plate on the wild pitch to regain the two-run lead, 4-2.
Cortez drove in another run for BC in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead back to one. Fuller left the circle after putting runners on the corners off a pair of infield singles. Lynch allowed the RBI single to Cortez before getting the final two outs of the inning and preserving UNC's lead, 4-3.
Lynch retired the Eagles in order in the sixth and seventh innings to close out her first career save, holding Carolina's 4-3 edge to clinch the ACC series victory.
The Tar Heels go for their first ACC series sweep on Sunday, April 10, with a start time of Noon.
