University of North Carolina Athletics
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Fresno State
Fresno State Ends Carolina's Season With 2-0 Win At NCAA Regionals
May 16, 2003 | Softball
May 16, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - The University of North Carolina softball team dropped a tough 2-0 game to No. 4 seed Fresno State in NCAA Regional action tonight at Bulldog Diamond. Fresno State pitcher Jamie Southern (24-11) threw her 16th complete-game shutout of the season, allowing three hits and striking out 10. Freshman pitcher Crystal Cox (Harrisburg, N.C.) allowed just four hits and two runs for the loss. UNC ends the season with an overall record of 40-22-1, while Fresno State advances to tomorrow with a record of 35-21.
"I thought we made some nice defensive plays and Crystal (Cox) threw a heck of a game," said head coach Donna Papa. "They got some timely hits and we didn't.
"I was proud of the way we fought in both games today and thought we ended the season strong."
Junior short stop Emily Price (Decatur, Ill.) led off the bottom of the second inning with a walk to give Carolina its second runner of the game. Price was then thrown out at second base on an attempted sacrifice bunt and the next two Tar Heel hitters struck out as the game moved to the third inning scoreless.
Junior right fielder Natashalyn Snipes (Durham, N.C.) led off the third inning with a single through the left side to put the leadoff runner on base for the second straight inning for UNC. FSU pitcher Jamie Southern struck out the next hitter, tallied a foul out to third base and Snipes was then thrown out at second base, caught stealing to send the game to the fourth inning tied at zero.
Fresno State's Christina Clark broke up freshman pitcher Crystal Cox's (Harrisburg, N.C.) perfect game with a base hit to third base and Angelina Diaz followed with a single up the middle to put runners on first and second with no outs. The Bulldogs broke the tie with a third straight hit byLori Hoffmann but the Tar Heels recorded the first out of the inning on the same play on a 7-3-4-5-4 pickle. Cox then recorded a foul out to third base and a fly out to center field as FSU led 1-0.
Freshman first baseman Jaclyn Holden (Santa Clarita, Calif.) walked with one out in the bottom of the fourth. The Tar Heels attempted another sacrifice bunt to move Holden to second but the Bulldogs threw Holden out at second base for the second out of the inning. Junior third baseman Dionne Streete (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) singled up the middle to put runners on first and second with two outs for the Heels. Southern then struck out the final UNC hitter as Fresno State remained up by one after four innings.
Both teams were sat down in order in the fifth inning as the game advacned to the sixth inning with Carolina still down by one, 1-0.
The Bulldogs put their leadoff batter on courtesy of a dropped pop fly by the Tar Heels to start the sixth inning. Cox induced a ground out to second base for the first out and recorded the second out of the inning at second base on a ground ball. Diaz stole second base to give Fresno State a runner in scoring position, but the next batter popped out to second base to end the top half of the sixth.
The Tar Heels could not manage a base runner in the bottom of the sixth inning as the game moved to the seventh inning with the Bulldogs clinging to a one-run lead.
Southern struck again for the Bulldogs, this time at the plate with a solo home run to left field to give Fresno State a two-run lead heading to the bottom of the seventh inning. UNC went down in order for the third straight inning to fall by two, 2-0.
Carolina scored no runs, on three hits and one error, while Fresno State scored two runs, on four hits and no errors.
Cox (24-13) threw her 23rd complete game this season, scattering four hits and struck out three. She ends the season with 248 strikeouts, second all-time in school history for a single season.
Seniors Quinn Porter (Wesley Chapel, Fla.), Anna Tharrington (Rocky Mount, N.C.) and Tolleson played their final games at North Carolina. Porter finished 1-for-3, Tharrington 0-for-2 and Tolleson 0-for-3. Tolleson finished her career with 195 career stolen bases, third all-time in NCAA Division I history.
Holden tied a school record with 140 total bases in one season. Carolina reached the 40-win plateau for the sixth time in school history.
