University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Elon
No. 23 North Carolina Battles Back For 9-1 Win
February 27, 2008 | Softball
Feb. 27, 2008
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth the North Carolina bats came to life to score nine runs on 10 hits en route to a 9-1 six inning victory over Elon Wednesday afternoon at Anderson Stadium. Faith Sutton improved to 3-0 on the year with her three innings of one-hit relief. Carolina improves to 13-3 overall and 8-0 at home with the win.
Amber Johnson got the start for the Heels in the circle and allowed just a pair of hits through the opening two frames. Elon got to the junior in the third and loaded the bases with nobody out, but following an RBI single from Brandi Jones, Johnson was able to get out of the jam and any threat of a big inning for the Phoenix.
Johnson, who was battling an illness, was replaced by Faith Sutton in the fourth as the freshman set Elon down in order to keep Carolina in the tight contest. After another dominant inning in the fifth and Sutton's fifth and sixth strikeouts of the game in the sixth inning, the Tar Heel bats went to work.
Carolina had managed just two hits through the opening five innings before Breanna Brown led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to left center. Brown moved to second on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Cassie Palmer and would score after Carolina's leading hitter, Emily Troup, dropped a single down the left field line to tie the game. Jennifer Jacobs followed with a single through the right side to put a pair of runners on with just one out. Danielle Spaulding followed with a sharp grounder up the middle that was snared by the diving shortstop who tagged second for the second out of the inning putting runners on the corners.
Whitney Allen put the Tar Heels ahead for good with an RBI single through the left side that gave Carolina a 2-1 lead. Alyssa Francona would add to that margin as she tallied her third home run of the year, a three-run shot to deep center. Brittany McKinney kept the two-out rally going with a double following Francona's bomb. Anna Roberts would pinch run for McKinney and would move to third as Christine Knauer picked up an infield single to the shortstop. Brown, in her second at bat of the inning, made the score 6-1 with a single back up the middle that scored Roberts from third and put runners on second and third.
Cassie Palmer drew a walk to load the bases for pinch hitter Stephanie Murad who took the first pitch she saw to left center to score two more runs and put Carolina within a run of closing out the game. Jacobs would seal the deal with a rocket to right center that hit off the fence allowing Palmer to score the game-ending run as the Tar Heels prevailed 9-1.
Jacobs was 3 for 4 on the day with her lone RBI being the game-ender after being named the ACC Player of the Week for her effort a week ago. Francona led the team with three RBIs as the Tar Heels are averaging more than eight runs per game and lead the ACC with a .332 batting average this season.
Carolina will be in action again this weekend when it hits the road to Columbus, Ga. for the prestigious NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Tar Heels will open with No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette at 11 a.m. on Friday and Iowa at 1:30 p.m.
