Wednesday, April 9
Chapel Hill, N.C.
6 PM
North Carolina
30-12
7
vs
6
East Carolina
23-17
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
East Carolina
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
2
0
6
9
3
North Carolina
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
1
7
15
2
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Rodriguez Walks It Off As Softball Tops ECU In Nine Innings
April 10, 2025 | Softball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC softball completed a four-run comeback in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night against ECU.
Trailing 4-0 after after five innings, the Tar Heels looked to do something they've only done once this season: come back from a deficit after the fifth inning.
Coming to the plate with a runner on first with one out, Rayna Blackwell sent a ball to deep left center field for an RBI double where she got to third on the throw. After Grace Jackson reached a fielders choice and Lexie Roberts doubled, Alex Coleman came through with an infield single to make it a 4-2 ball game.
Down to their final three outs, the Tar Heels needed another rally. Carlie Myrtle led the inning off with a walk. Skylar Young came into pinch run. Sanaa Thompson worked a walk to make it first and second with no one out. Attempting to lay a sacrifice bunt down, Shelby Barbee ended up reaching on a throwing error that plated Young. With Jackson at the plate a pitch sailed over the catchers head as Thompson came into score a game tying wild pitch.
In extras, ECU scored two off the bat to go up 6-4. Needing yet another rally, Kat Rodriguez led the bottom of the eighth with a walk, then Kiannah Pierce walked and Reece Outlaw came into pinch run. Young moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Then Sanaa Thompson came through clutch sending a two-RBI double down the left field line to knot things up at 6-6.
Kenna Raye Dark had a shutdown top of the ninth. Grace Jackson led off the bottom half with a single, she got to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, Kat Rodriguez did what she does best: drive in runs. She sent the walk off single right back up the middle and Jackson came into score to seal UNC's first walk off win of the season.
Rodriguez sits at 64 RBI now, just four away from tying the program record for a RBI in a single season.
The Tar Heels earned their first win over ECU since 2019 and the first in Chapel Hill since 2018. UNC also matches its win total from last season in six fewer games.
Trailing 4-0 after after five innings, the Tar Heels looked to do something they've only done once this season: come back from a deficit after the fifth inning.
Coming to the plate with a runner on first with one out, Rayna Blackwell sent a ball to deep left center field for an RBI double where she got to third on the throw. After Grace Jackson reached a fielders choice and Lexie Roberts doubled, Alex Coleman came through with an infield single to make it a 4-2 ball game.
Down to their final three outs, the Tar Heels needed another rally. Carlie Myrtle led the inning off with a walk. Skylar Young came into pinch run. Sanaa Thompson worked a walk to make it first and second with no one out. Attempting to lay a sacrifice bunt down, Shelby Barbee ended up reaching on a throwing error that plated Young. With Jackson at the plate a pitch sailed over the catchers head as Thompson came into score a game tying wild pitch.
In extras, ECU scored two off the bat to go up 6-4. Needing yet another rally, Kat Rodriguez led the bottom of the eighth with a walk, then Kiannah Pierce walked and Reece Outlaw came into pinch run. Young moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Then Sanaa Thompson came through clutch sending a two-RBI double down the left field line to knot things up at 6-6.
Kenna Raye Dark had a shutdown top of the ninth. Grace Jackson led off the bottom half with a single, she got to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, Kat Rodriguez did what she does best: drive in runs. She sent the walk off single right back up the middle and Jackson came into score to seal UNC's first walk off win of the season.
Rodriguez sits at 64 RBI now, just four away from tying the program record for a RBI in a single season.
The Tar Heels earned their first win over ECU since 2019 and the first in Chapel Hill since 2018. UNC also matches its win total from last season in six fewer games.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dark, Kenna Raye (12-7)
L: Kendall Frost (9-10)
Batting:
2B: Emma Jackson 1 ; Anna Sawyer 1
RBI: Emma Jackson 2 ; Hailey Massaro 1 ; Trinity Nichols 2
SH: Trinity Nichols 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kanisha Anderson 1 ; Brooke Masingale 1 ; Logan Sutton 1 ; Anna Sawyer 1 ; Trinity Nichols 1 ; Hannah Evans 1
Batting:
2B: Roberts, Lexie 1 ; Thompson, Sanaa 1 ; Blackwell, Rayna 1
RBI: Jennings, Raegan 1 ; K. Rodriguez 1 ; Thompson, Sanaa 2 ; Blackwell, Rayna 1
SH: Young, Skylar 1 ; Barbee, Shelby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: K. Rodriguez 1 ; Outlaw, Reece 1 ; Young, Skylar 1 ; Thompson, Sanaa 1 ; E. Fox 1 ; Horton, Sydney 2
HBP: Roberts, Lexie 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
6
R
0
H
4
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF/UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF/UTL
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