University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Campbell
Norris And Spaulding No-Hit Campbell
February 20, 2008 | Softball
Feb. 20, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina used back-to-back no-hitters from Danielle Spaulding and Lisa Norris to fuel a midweek sweep of visiting Campbell Wednesday at Anderson Stadium. Spaulding walked just one and struck out nine in her five innings of work in game one as the Tar Heels won 9-0. Norris was just as good in game two as Carolina won 12-0 and Norris posted the exact same line as Spaulding.
After not recording a no-hitter during the 2007 season, the Carolina pitchers have more than made up for it lately as Spaulding and Norris recorded the second and third no-hitters in the last six games.
Spaulding got the ball in game one and set the Camels down in order to get the Tar Heel bats to the plate in the opening inning. Following a leadoff ground out, Breanna Brown went down on strikes but was able to get to first base on a passed ball by the catcher. Emily Troup would make Campbell pay for the mistake as she took a 1-1 pitch to deep left center for her second homer of the season. Spaulding singled up the middle for the second hit of the inning before a strikeout put two outs on the board when Campbell should have been out of the inning. Senior Jennifer Jacobs pushed two more runs across the plate all by herself with Carolina's second home run of the inning, this a two-run shot to dead center.
Carolina put a single run on the board in both the second and third innings as Cassie Palmer scored on a wild pitch in the second and Jacobs added her second long ball of the game with an identical shot to center.
Spaulding sat down the first 15 batters she faced but walked number 16 to break up the perfect game, but the sophomore settled down and struck out the next batter. A fly ball to left put two outs on the board before Spaulding rang up another batter on strikes to end the inning.
Three more runs in the bottom of the fourth gave Carolina a 9-0 lead heading into the top of the fifth. A ground out and a pop up put Spaulding within an out of her first career no-hitter. The Fontana, Calif. native threw three consecutive strikes for her ninth strikeout of the day to cap off the win.
Norris kept the strikeouts coming in game two as she set Campbell down in order with a trio of strikeouts in the top of the first. Emily Troup's hot bat kept hitting as well, the junior drove in two in her first at bat of game two after Cassie Palmer led off with a double and Breanna Brown walked.
Carolina took advantage of two Camel miscues in the bottom of the second to put six more runs on the more, four of which came off Norris' bat when she connected on a grand slam to deep centerfield. Palmer and Whitney Allen each added RBIs in the inning as Palmer tallied a sacrifice fly and Allen posted an RBI single.
Troup added another RBI in the third as she and Palmer tallied back-to-back doubles to give Carolina the 9-0 lead. An RBI single by Brown, another run scoring double by Troup and a sacrifice fly from Jacobs put three more runs on the board for Carolina.
Norris made it one more inning than Spaulding in her perfect game bid but was unable to keep Campbell's leadoff hitter off the bases in the top of the fifth. Following the base on balls, Amanda Miller looked to break up the no-hitter as well, she hit a ball deep down the right field line but Dani Manko made a diving catch to keep the no-no intact and was able to double up the runner at first to clear the bases. A strike out looking ended Norris' second no-hitter in her last three starts. The Snellville, Ga. native has not allowed an earned run in 23 consecutive innings after her second shutout of the year.
Jennifer Jacobs drove in five runs on the day with the two long balls, not far behind was Troup and Norris who each drove in four runs apiece.
Carolina will now open the Atlantic Coast Conference season on Saturday when the Tar Heels travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on Florida State in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday and a single game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
