University of North Carolina Athletics
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Carolina Softball Earns Split at Crowne Plaza Classic
February 18, 2005 | Softball
Feb. 18, 2005
The University of North Carolina softball team moved to 8-1 on the season with a split on the first day of action at the Crowne Plaza Classic Friday in Houston, Texas. The Tar Heels dropped the opening game to Minnesota, 3-2, before regrouping to beat Texas State, 5-3.
Minnesota (5-2) scored first in the morning's first matchup, pushing across one run in the bottom of the first. The two squads would trade zeros until the bottom of the sixth, when the Golden Gophers added a pair of insurance runs to push their lead to 3-0.
But the Tar Heels would not go quietly. Anna Evans led of the seventh with a solo home run to cut the deficit to 3-1, and Jaclyn Holden and Erica Ennis followed with a walk and a hit to put runners on second and third with no one out. Jessica Young delivered a sacrifice fly to pull the Tar Heels within one, but they would get no closer. The tying run was stranded at third, one of 11 Carolina runners left on base, and Minnesota secured the 3-2 win.
UNC took advantage of its baserunners in game two, as the Tar Heels posted four runs in the third inning to take a commanding lead. Whitney Gelin led off the frame with her first homer of the season before Carolina was helped by some poor defense by Texas State (3-9). After back-to-back walks by Evans and Holden, Casey Testa singled and all three runners scoring thanks to a pair of bad throws by Texas State. The Tar Heels added a fifth run when Testa doubled home Holden, who had been hit by a pitch.
Texas State would chase Carolina starter Alison Yin (3-0) in the sixth with three runs on two hits and an error. With a runner on second, Ashley Allen entered the game and induced a pop up and a groundout to quell the rally. Allen would strand two more runners in the seventh to pick up her first save of the season and win the game for the Tar Heels.
Carolina returns to action Saturday with games against Kentucky at 4 p.m. and host Houston at 8.
