University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: The Inaugural Win Over Duke
March 12, 2018 | Softball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
The North Carolina players flooded out of the first-base dugout and rushed toward Kiani Ramsey, eager to celebrate a win that was the first of its kind.
They mobbed Ramsey, who scored the game-winning run, near home plate. And after shaking hands with the defeated visiting team, they gathered around the pitcher's circle and continued reveling in the victory as "Hark the Sound" played over the Anderson Stadium speakers.
Each player sung along. Their anticipation seemingly built with every word. Finally, when the last line arrived, they yelled "Go to hell, Duke," a phrase that carried little relevance among those in the softball program until Friday's 2-1 walk-off win over the Blue Devils.
Before then, the schools had never played on an NCAA softball field. But the inaugural meeting between UNC and Duke, which is fielding a softball team for the first time this season, delivered like only games in this rivalry can.
"We've had the red school down the road, but we haven't had that school, whereas all the other sports pretty much have had that competition …" Donna J. Papa said. "We didn't want to make the game too big; we really didn't. But there's a lot of pride to beat a rival down the street."
The rivalry's extension to the softball field became a reality in the spring of 2014, when Duke's Board of Trustees approved the addition of softball. A year later, the Blue Devils hired Marissa Young as their first head coach.
Young spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as a UNC assistant coach. She primarily coached the Tar Heels' catchers and pitchers, who posted a 3.30 ERA during the 2015 campaign.
"It was a good opportunity for her as a young coach to start a program and be able to recruit to a quality school in the ACC in terms of academics," Papa said. "I think she did things her own way, and she's going to build a good program there and has started to."
Duke entered Friday with a 12-6 record, including wins over Penn State and Purdue. UNC was 8-13, but coming off a 12-2 victory at Charlotte in which it tallied 14 hits.
Pitching and defense, however, defined the ACC opener for both teams, which combined for just five hits through four scoreless innings. The best scoring chance for either team in that span came in the top of the fourth, when Duke's Rachel Abboud hit a one-out double. But Brittany Pickett induced a groundout and a pop out to escape the inning unscathed.
An inning later, the Blue Devils finally broke through. Hannah Pridemore hit a solo home run, giving Duke a 1-0 lead. Yet in a game destined for extra innings, UNC tied the score in the sixth inning on a Blue Devil error.
A double play in the eighth inning kept the Tar Heels alive. And with the score still tied at 1 entering the bottom of the ninth, Ramsey stepped to the plate.
"I had said to her, 'Do you want to stand in and swing?'" Papa recounted. "And she was like, 'You know, I think I can chop it because she is throwing me some low stuff.' Then she wound up elevating it a little bit and it worked out for us great."
Ramsey laced an 0-2 pitch over the left fielder for a leadoff triple. Two batters later, Katelyn Shifflett plated Ramsey on a sacrifice fly, prompting the mass exodus from the first-base dugout.
Before Friday, UNC was 0-6 in one-run games this season. But as has been the case across other sports, this rivalry can provide a spark, one the Tar Heels appeared to receive as they followed Friday's win with two on Saturday to complete the three-game sweep.
"Our record isn't where we thought it would be right now, and we've lost a lot of one-run games and in late innings," said Papa on Friday. "But it seems like some things are finally turning the other way for us."
As if Friday wasn't already memorable, what followed the win and on-field celebration would make it so.
After the players finished singing the alma mater, Destiny DeBerry's boyfriend, Connor Smith, entered the field from the first-base dugout. He then dropped down on one knee and proposed to DeBerry. Surrounded by her teammates and coaches, she said yes.
"That caught me by complete surprise," DeBerry said. "I don't know if you could tell, but I was like a mess, which is a little embarrassing. But it was nice to have it after a win."
A win over Duke, no less.
The North Carolina players flooded out of the first-base dugout and rushed toward Kiani Ramsey, eager to celebrate a win that was the first of its kind.
They mobbed Ramsey, who scored the game-winning run, near home plate. And after shaking hands with the defeated visiting team, they gathered around the pitcher's circle and continued reveling in the victory as "Hark the Sound" played over the Anderson Stadium speakers.
Each player sung along. Their anticipation seemingly built with every word. Finally, when the last line arrived, they yelled "Go to hell, Duke," a phrase that carried little relevance among those in the softball program until Friday's 2-1 walk-off win over the Blue Devils.
Before then, the schools had never played on an NCAA softball field. But the inaugural meeting between UNC and Duke, which is fielding a softball team for the first time this season, delivered like only games in this rivalry can.
"We've had the red school down the road, but we haven't had that school, whereas all the other sports pretty much have had that competition …" Donna J. Papa said. "We didn't want to make the game too big; we really didn't. But there's a lot of pride to beat a rival down the street."
The rivalry's extension to the softball field became a reality in the spring of 2014, when Duke's Board of Trustees approved the addition of softball. A year later, the Blue Devils hired Marissa Young as their first head coach.
Young spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as a UNC assistant coach. She primarily coached the Tar Heels' catchers and pitchers, who posted a 3.30 ERA during the 2015 campaign.
"It was a good opportunity for her as a young coach to start a program and be able to recruit to a quality school in the ACC in terms of academics," Papa said. "I think she did things her own way, and she's going to build a good program there and has started to."
Duke entered Friday with a 12-6 record, including wins over Penn State and Purdue. UNC was 8-13, but coming off a 12-2 victory at Charlotte in which it tallied 14 hits.
Pitching and defense, however, defined the ACC opener for both teams, which combined for just five hits through four scoreless innings. The best scoring chance for either team in that span came in the top of the fourth, when Duke's Rachel Abboud hit a one-out double. But Brittany Pickett induced a groundout and a pop out to escape the inning unscathed.
An inning later, the Blue Devils finally broke through. Hannah Pridemore hit a solo home run, giving Duke a 1-0 lead. Yet in a game destined for extra innings, UNC tied the score in the sixth inning on a Blue Devil error.
A double play in the eighth inning kept the Tar Heels alive. And with the score still tied at 1 entering the bottom of the ninth, Ramsey stepped to the plate.
"I had said to her, 'Do you want to stand in and swing?'" Papa recounted. "And she was like, 'You know, I think I can chop it because she is throwing me some low stuff.' Then she wound up elevating it a little bit and it worked out for us great."
Ramsey laced an 0-2 pitch over the left fielder for a leadoff triple. Two batters later, Katelyn Shifflett plated Ramsey on a sacrifice fly, prompting the mass exodus from the first-base dugout.
Before Friday, UNC was 0-6 in one-run games this season. But as has been the case across other sports, this rivalry can provide a spark, one the Tar Heels appeared to receive as they followed Friday's win with two on Saturday to complete the three-game sweep.
"Our record isn't where we thought it would be right now, and we've lost a lot of one-run games and in late innings," said Papa on Friday. "But it seems like some things are finally turning the other way for us."
As if Friday wasn't already memorable, what followed the win and on-field celebration would make it so.
After the players finished singing the alma mater, Destiny DeBerry's boyfriend, Connor Smith, entered the field from the first-base dugout. He then dropped down on one knee and proposed to DeBerry. Surrounded by her teammates and coaches, she said yes.
"That caught me by complete surprise," DeBerry said. "I don't know if you could tell, but I was like a mess, which is a little embarrassing. But it was nice to have it after a win."
A win over Duke, no less.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
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