University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Maryland
Tar Heels Complete Sweep of Terrapins
April 24, 2005 | Softball
April 24, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. --- Cassie Palmer and Jennifer Jacobs each hit tie-breaking home runs to lead the University of North Carolina softball team to pair of Atlantic Coast Conference wins over Maryland at the Terrapin Softball Complex Sunday afternoon. UNC (35-23, 8-7 ACC) won the first game, 3-2 in 12 innings, then completed the sweep of the Terrapins (20-17, 4-8 ACC) with a 3-1 win. Crystal Cox got both wins in relief, and all three in the series, to improve to 19-14 on the season.
The day started with the continuation of Saturday's second game which was halted after six innings due to rain. The score would stay tied at 2-all for five more innings, until Palmer broke the deadlock with her first career home run in the 12th. The Weddington, N.C., freshman drove a 1-1 pitch deep over the wall in left field to give Carolina a lead it would not relinquish. Cox struck out nine Terrapins and allowed just one hit in six innings of relief to get the win. Crystal Crews (4-6) scattered seven hits and two walks over six innings in a losing effort.
Carolina got out to an early lead in game two thanks to some help from the Maryland defense. After back-to-back fielding errors put two runners on base, Jaclyn Holden blooped a single to center to load the bases. Erin Dudley then grounded to the second baseman who could not make the throw home in time, allowing Whitney Gelin to score the game's first run.
Maryland tied the score at 1-all with an unearned run in the fifth. Jennifer Rizzuto led off the frame with a single, then pinch runner Meghan Booth advanced to second on a sacrifice. After a Nneka Cardoza single put runners on second and third, starter Alison Yin induced a ground ball for the second out. Carolina then brought on Cox in relief of Yin to escape the jam. But the Tar Heels were unable to prevail unscathed, as a fielding error allowed Booth to score from third to tie the game.
Jacobs then put UNC back on top in the top of the sixth with her fifth home run of the year. After a Gelin walk and an Erica Ennis strikeout, the freshman from Tampa belted a 3-1 pitch out of the deepest park of the park to put the Tar Heels ahead for good.
The Tar Heels will now return to North Carolina for their final league series of the season, a three-game set against NC State on Wednesday and Thursday. Game time for the first of two games Wednesday is scheduled for 6 p.m.
