University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
UC Riverside
Carolina Earns Another Split At ASU Tournament
February 17, 2007 | Softball
Feb. 17, 2007
TEMPE, ARIZ. --- North Carolina got a three-hit shutout from pitcher Amber Johnson and pounded out nine hits on the way to a 5-0 win over Idaho State, evening their record to 2-2 at the Littlewood Classic hosted by Arizona State. The Tar Heels (4-4) lost a tough 2-1 decision against UC Riverside in their first game of the day.
Johnson pitched seven scoreless innings for the Tar Heels against Idaho State, striking out 10 batters and only walking three in moving her record to 2-1.
She was supported by the UNC bats from the get-go. Cassie Palmer opened the game against the Bengals (0-7) with a hit ¬- the third time in four games this weekend she has done so - and quickly found herself on third after a sacrifice and a wild pitch. A walk and a stolen base added Anna Evans to the equation at second base with only one out, and Jennifer Jacobs capitalized with a bases-clearing double to put UNC up 2-0. Carolina went on to load the bases, but Idaho State pitcher Lindsay Boughton was able to escape the inning without further damage.
UNC would strike again in the bottom of the second, adding a third run when Anna Evans sent an RBI single up the middle to bring home centerfielder Breanna Brown, who had reached on a walk and stolen second.
Brown scored her second run of the game in the fourth, lifting a ball deep into left field, where the gusty winds in Tempe helped it easily clear the fence to give her her first home run of the season and the Tar Heels a 4-0 advantage.
Carolina added its last run in the fifth thanks to a walk and two hits, including a run-plating single by rightfielder Whitney Allen. Idaho State never mounted much of a scoring threat after that, foiled continually by Johnson's artistry.
Allen and freshman Stephanie Murad, who got the start at third base, each came through with two hits for the Tar Heels, who used a balanced offensive attack to secure the win.
Against the Highlanders from UC Riverside(5-2), a strong effort in the circle from Lisa Norris propelled UNC, but a sixth-inning, tiebreaking run and some solid pitching proved too much for the Tar Heels to overcome.
UC Riverside got on the scoreboard first in the game, notching a run in the bottom of the first when April Murray took home on an attempted pickoff at second base, just beating Whitney Gelin's tag with her slide.
Neither team could push across a run for the next three frames, but North Carolina used a leadoff home run from third baseman Joslin Higgins in the top of the fifth to even the score at 1-1. Higgins' shot hugged the left field line and just cleared the glove of the leaping Highlander leftfielder, giving the Tar Heels just their second hit of the game.
The drive seemed to jumpstart the Carolina offense, though, as Emily Troup and Palmer quickly added hits and Anna Evans walked to load the bases with two outs. But UC Riverside pitcher Stephanie Marshall induced a Jennifer Jacobs flyout to escape the danger, and the game remained tied. Carolina threatened again in the sixth, putting runners on first and third with two outs, but couldn't find the hit it needed to grab the lead.
A leadoff walk followed by a double and an RBI single helped the Highlanders take advantage in the bottom half, and the Tar Heels went to the seventh trailing 2-1 with the top of the lineup set to bat. After a Palmer groundout, Brown lined a ball up the middle that the pitcher couldn't handle, and the tying run was on base. Brown advanced to second on a ground ball from Evans, but UNC was unable to get her home as the Tar Heels dropped their second one-run loss of the year.
UC Riverside pitcher Stephanie Marshall moved her record to 4-0 on the year, while Norris dropped to 2-3, despite allowing just one earned run. Norris pitched six innings, striking out 11 and giving up just five hits.
Carolina completes play at the Littlewood Classic with an 11 a.m. MST game against Illinois State on Sunday.
