Emily LeGette Walks Off App State, Softball Improves To 13-0, Sweeps Doubleheader

Friday, February 20

Chapel Hill, N.C.

3:00 PM

North Carolina

12-0

Rider

2-4

Rider

North Carolina

Photo by: DALTON WAINSCOTT

Emily LeGette Walks Off App State, Softball Improves To 13-0, Sweeps Doubleheader

February 20, 2026 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - In a pressure-filled moment, Emily LeGette stepped up to the plate with a runner on second in the extra innings. She stepped back into the box for a 2-1 pitch. She proceeded to launch a ball to deep right-center for her first career walk-off home run, sending Carolina home with a 5-3 victory to clinch a doubleheader sweep.

Game 1 Recap:
Carolina's offensive prowess continued to shine as they notched the ninth run-rule victory of the season, 11-1, against Rider in the first game of the doubleheader.
Kendall Frost continued to deal, pitching five innings, only giving up one run and striking out seven batters. Frost improves to 2-0 on the season.
The Tar Heels opened the first inning by plating three runs. Emily LeGette sent Sanaa Thompson for the first score of the game, and Raegan Jennings hit a massive two-run double which would turn out to be the go-ahead run in the first.
Carolina scored at least one run in every inning, Shelby Barbee drove in Thompson in the second inning and in the game as a whole, the duo combined to go 8-8 with 6 runs and two RBI.
Barbee set a new career high with her four hits, and Sanaa Thompson tied her career high in both hits and runs with four of each.
Michele Tarpey hit a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the fourth, which was the 30th home run of the season. Lindsey Lumsden added two more runs to push the lead to ten.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: UNC, 11 Rider, 1

Sanaa Thompson extended her hit streak to 12 with a first-inning single
UNC pitcher's scoreless streak was snapped at 32.2 innings
Jennings had 4 RBI
The Tar Heels didn't reach 30 home runs until game 31 last season
Shelby and Sanaa are a combined 8-8 with 6 runs and two RBI

Game 2 Recap:
In the first extra innings game of the season, Carolina came out on top with LeGette sending Carolina home with her second home run of the game and fourth in the past two days. LeGette now has more home runs this season (7) than she had in her entire career coming into the season (6).
LeGette homered to right in the bottom of the third to shift the momentum and give Carolina a 2-1 lead. Rayna Blackwell followed up the home run with a solo shot of her own in the fourth.
App State tied the score at 3-3 in the seventh, forcing the game to extras. But, following up on her no-hitter, Lilly Parrish came out of the bullpen in relief of Kenna Raye Dark and shut down Appalachian State's hitters, striking out two of them on only 12 total pitches.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: UNC, 5 App State, 3

This marked the first time in eight games that UNC didn't score in the first inning
Sanaa Thompson extended her hit streak to 13 games
First extra inning game of the season
All of Carolina's runs were driven in by the home run.