Bats Go Quiet In Doubleheader At Notre Dame

Saturday, April 8

South Bend, Ind.

1:00 PM

North Carolina

30-10, 0

Notre Dame

20-14, 0

North Carolina

Notre Dame

Tar Heels Claim Battle Of The Carolinas, 7-3

April 8, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Game 2 Box

By: UNC Athletic Communications

South Bend, Ind. – North Carolina and Notre Dame battled through a pair of pitchers' duels on Saturday, but the Fighting Irish came out on top in both games of the doubleheader, winning game one, 2-1, in nine innings, then completing a 2-0 no-hitter in the nightcap. North Carolina entered the day having won all four previous ACC series, but the twin bill sweep secured the conference victory for the Fighting Irish who move up to just one game behind the Heels in the standings.

North Carolina (30-11, 9-5 ACC) and Notre Dame (21-14, 8-6 ACC) return to Melissa Cook Softball Stadium on Sunday, April 9, for the series finale beginning at Noon.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
North Carolina	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0
Notre Dame	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	6	1

North Carolina and Notre Dame each plated a run in the first inning, but the next player would not cross the plate until the bottom of the ninth, as UND came out on top of a pitcher's duel, 2-1, to hand Carolina its first extra-innings loss of the season.

Freshman Brittany Pickett (15-2) allowed just a single hit from the second to the eighth innings, including retiring 13 straight batters, but eventually took her second career loss after giving up a total of two runs on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts over 8.0+ innings.

Rachel Nasland (10-6) went the distance as well, holding Carolina to a single run on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

Junior Katelyn Shifflett went deep for the Tar Heels in the top of the first in what would end up being Carolina's only run in the game. Katie Bailiff went 2-for-4 at the plate, and Pickett, Taylor Wike, and Micaela Abbatine had the remaining three Tar Heel singles.

Shifflett put Carolina on the board quickly in the top of the first, driving a high fly ball out of the park in left center for a solo home run.

The Irish tied the score in the bottom of the first off a pair of singles. Karley Wester led off with a single up the middle, and after a drag bunt by her sister Ali moved her into scoring position, Caitlyn Brooks sent her home with a two-out RBI single through the right side.

Carolina had a hit in four of the final five innings of regulation, including leadoff singles in the third and the fifth, but the Heels were unable to push another run across, due in part to some key strikeouts by Nasland.

Notre Dame had a runner in scoring position in the third and fourth innings, but Pickett went on to retire 13 consecutive batters beginning with the final out of the fourth to send the game to extras.

Two walks and a single by Bailiff loaded the bases full of Tar Heels in the top of the ninth, but Nasland struck out Pickett for the key second out, and a ground out stranded three as the senior pitcher got herself out of the jam.

After striking out in each of her first three at-bats, Morgan Reed led off the bottom of the ninth inning by ripping a double down the left-field line. A bloop single by Caitlyn Brooks put the go-ahead run 60 feet from the plate, and Melissa Rochford followed with a single to shallow left center, as Reed came home to score and give Notre Dame the walk-off win, 2-1, in nine innings.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
North Carolina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Notre Dame	0	0	0	2	0	0	-	2	9	1

In another pitcher's duel, Notre Dame junior Katie Beriont hurled a no-hitter to secure the series victory for the Fighting Irish. UND took the nightcap, 2-0, scoring the pair of runs after a fielding mistake by UNC extended the fourth inning.

In her second career complete-game shutout, Beriont allowed just two base runners on a walk (Brittany Pickett) and an error (Taylor Wike) to seal up Notre Dame's first no-hit shutout since 2015 and first seven-inning no-hitter since 2012.

The Heels were held without a hit or a run for the first time since a 3-0 loss to Coastal Carolina on March 12, 2014, and were shut out for just the second time this season.

Kendra Lynch (9-4) started for Carolina, allowing two runs on eight hits over the first 3.2 innings with three strikeouts. Sydney Matzko was nearly flawless in relief, allowing just one hit over 2.1 innings.

Maddie McCracken led off the third with a double to deep left, and an error on a sacrifice bunt allowed the Irish to get runners in scoring position with no outs. However, three straight grounders to Wike, including a throw home to get the second out at the plate, kept the game scoreless through three.

Notre Dame took advantage of a Tar Heel miscue to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With a runner on first and one out, Kimmy Sullivan popped up on a hit and run. In what was likely to be an inning-ending double play, Lynch could not find the ball in the sun as it dropped in to the pitcher's circle and everyone was safe. The Irish made Carolina pay, as McCracken and Karley Wester hit back-to-back two-out RBI singles to make it 2-0 UND. Another single loaded the bases and that would do it for Lynch, as Matzko came in and drew a pop up to end the inning, stranding three.

Wike reached first with two outs in the top of the sixth on an error by the shortstop, but she represented the final of just two base runners in the game, and a 1-2-3 top of the seventh for Beriont sealed up the no-hit gem.