University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
37-18
Syracuse (Quarterfinals)
31-19
Six-Run First Leads Heels Into ACC Semis
May 12, 2017 | Softball
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| #6 Syracuse (31-19) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| #3 North Carolina (37-18) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 8 | 7 | 1 |
CHAPEL HILL – #3-seed North Carolina scored six runs in the bottom of the first to propel itself to an 8-4 victory over #6-seed Syracuse in the last Quarterfinal of day one of the 2017 ACC Softball Championship, hosted by the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. The win sends the Heels into the ACC Semifinals, where they will face rival NC State at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 12. The seventh-seeded Wolfpack knocked off #2-seed Louisville, 5-2, earlier in the day.
“I think they were really focused coming out,” said head coach Donna J. Papa. “They were hungry because we haven't played in almost two weeks. We really stressed keeping everything simple and having fun and that's what we did. We were really loose and it showed when we went up to the plate. It was a great way to start – when you start with that many runs in the first inning, your pitchers can relax a little bit, your defense can relax a little bit and if there were any nerves, it helps you get through that.”
North Carolina has advanced to the ACC Semifinals every season since the conference adopted an eight-team single-elimination format in 2008. The Tar Heels, who took 2-of-3 from the Wolfpack during the regular season, look to advance to the ACC Championship game for the first time since 2011. UNC has hosted the tournament twice before but has never played in a title game at Anderson Stadium.
“We've been pretty successful playing at home, so it's very advantageous,” said Papa. “They can sleep in their own beds. Families are around and they have a little more free time in the day, because they're not coming from class (since the semester is over). I think it's a big advantage to be at home.”
Sophomore Katie Bailiff kicked off the scoring with a two-run single, going 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs, while Brittany West hit a three-run double as a key part of the six-run first inning. Destiny DeBerry was 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a walk, and Leah Murray was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and the final RBI. Brittany Pickett reached base all four times, with a solo home run, two walks and a hit by pitch.
Named ACC Freshman of the Year earlier in the day, Pickett (21-7) went the distance in the circle, limiting Syracuse to two earned runs on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.
AnnaMarie Gatti (9-8) started for the Orange, but was on the hook for the first four runs after allowing two hits and two walks and recording just a single out in the first. Alexa Romero went the next 3.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with a strikeout, and Sydney O'Hara tossed the final two frames, giving up one run on one hit but four walks with three strikeouts.
The Tar Heels attacked early, chasing starter Gatti from the circle after just five batters. Murray led off the game with an infield single, then walks issued to Taylor Wike and Kendra Lynch loaded the bases. Bailiff hit a two-run single up the middle, and Syracuse made the call to the bullpen for Romero.
Pickett drew the third walk of the inning to re-load the bases with two outs, then West laced a bases-clearing double to deep left field. A single up the middle by DeBerry turned over the lineup for a total of six runs in the opening frame.
Faith Cain got the Orange on the board in the top of the second with a solo home run to left.
Jessica Heese led off the top of the third with a single, and Alicia Hansen sent her home with an RBI double to make it 6-2.
Pickett got the run back in the bottom of the third, launching a solo shot for her 12th dinger of the season with ties Carolina's rookie record.
With the score 7-2 Carolina in the middle of the fourth, the game was halted due to severe weather in the area. After an hour-and-fifteen-minute delay, the teams resumed play with the top of the Tar Heels' lineup in the bottom of the fourth.
O'Hara came in to pitch the fifth, but walked Bailiff, Pickett and DeBerry to load the bases with two outs. Murray hit an RBI single to shallow left to make it 8-2 Carolina before a strikeout stranded three.
O'Hara led off the top of the sixth with a double, but a pair of key strikeouts stranded the bases loaded to keep 'Cuse off the board.
For the third consecutive half-inning, an inning-ending strikeout left the bases loaded as UNC headed to the top of the seventh still on top 8-2. The first two batters reached base in the top of the seventh on a walk and an error, and a two-out double off the wall in right by Bryce Holmgren cut the deficit to four, 8-4. However, Pickett drew a comebacker from the next batter to end the inning and punch a ticket to the ACC Semifinals.
“State is a very good hitting team and I think we're a good hitting team so it's going to be a great battle,” said Papa. “You've got four teams left now that can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Dean Smith always said, 'Survive and advance,' and that's really what you're doing this time of year. You play one game at a time. You can't look ahead at all.”
#1 Florida State broke the ACC Tournament record for runs in a game and runs in an inning in the first game of the day, defeating #8 Virginia, 16-0, in five frames. #5 Notre Dame came back to score seven unanswered runs over the final three innings to defeat #4 Boston College, 9-5, in eight innings in the second Quarterfinal. The Seminoles will host the Fighting Irish at 1 p.m. prior to the “Triangle battle” at 3:30 p.m. Both games will air live on the ACC's group of Regional Sports Networks, including Fox Sports Carolinas.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pickett, Brittany (21-7)
L: AnnaMarie Gatti (9-8)
Batting:
2B: Alicia Hansen 1 ; Sydney O'Hara 1 ; Bryce Holmgren 1
HR: Faith Cain 1
RBI: Alicia Hansen 1 ; Bryce Holmgren 2 ; Faith Cain 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alicia Hansen 1 ; Faith Cain 1 ; Jessica Heese 2
HBP: Bryce Holmgren 1 ; Hannah Dossett 1
Batting:
2B: West, Brittany 1
HR: Pickett, Brittany 1
RBI: Murray, Leah 1 ; Bailiff, Katie 2 ; Pickett, Brittany 1 ; West, Brittany 3 ; DeBerry, Destiny 1
SH: Shifflett, Katelyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wike, Taylor 1 ; Lynch, Kendra 1 ; Cole, Hailey 1 ; Bailiff, Katie 1 ; Abbatine, Micaela 1 ; Pickett, Brittany 1 ; West, Brittany 1 ; Hutcherson, Campbell 1
SB: Murray, Leah 1
HBP: Shifflett, Katelyn 1 ; Pickett, Brittany 1
