University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Oregon State
No. 20 Tar Heels Stage Late Inning Heroics
February 21, 2009 | Softball
Feb. 21, 2009
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - A four-run seventh inning propelled the No. 20 North Carolina softball team to a 5-2 come from behind win over Oregon State Saturday afternoon in the Cathedral City Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. Lisa Norris notched the game-winning RBI and picked up the win in the circle for the 12-3 Tar Heels.
Oregon State struck first in the bottom half of the opening frame when the Beavers took advantage of a Tar Heel error to put the leadoff runner on base. Ashley Sanchez then proceeded to steal second base before a walk put runners on first and second before an attempted sacrifice bunt was beat out for a single to load the bases with nobody out and put starter Lisa Norris into some trouble. A fly ball to right field would score a run as Audrey Roderfeld tallied a sacrifice fly to score Sanchez. Norris was able to strike out the next two batters to escape any more trouble.
The Tar Heels picked up a pair of singles in the top of the second but were unable to move a runner past second base in the inning. Carolina nearly copied what the Beavers did in the first in the top of the third when Dani Manko reached on an error by the second baseman before a bunt single off the bat of Christine Knauer and a walk by Danielle Spaulding loaded the bases for Brittany McKinney. The sophomore lifted a pitch into right field that scored the speedy Manko easily from third. A pop out would end the inning as the Tar Heels would leave the bases loaded. The Tar Heels would strand the bases loaded again in the fourth when Anna Roberts, Alyssa Francona and Christine Knauer all tallied singles in the inning.
Norris settled down after the shaky first and held Oregon State to just two hits over the next three innings as she helped to keep the Tar Heels and Beavers knotted at 1-1. Danielle Spaulding led off the fifth inning with a walk, her third of the game before a fly out and a double play ball ended any chance of scoring in the fifth.
Dani Manko started the comeback in the top of the seventh when she laced the first pitch she saw back up the middle for a leadoff single. Christine Knauer would step to the plate next and after fouling off a pair of bunt attempts she copied Manko and singled right back up the box to put a pair of speedsters on first and second. Breanna Brown would drop down the bunt that Knauer attempted to move the pair into scoring position. An intentional walk to Spaulding would load the bases with Brittany McKinney stepping to the plate. McKinney popped the first pitch she saw into foul territory before Lisa Norris helped herself out by lining a single over the shortstop's head and into left field to score both Manko and Knauer and give Carolina a 3-2 lead. Anna Roberts quickly made it 5-2 when she went with a pitch to right field to score both Spaulding and pinch runner Kelli Wheeler. The hit parade would continue when Ally Blake lined a pitch back up the middle to move Roberts to second with two down before a nice play by the Oregon State shortstop ended the four-run inning.
Norris would pick up the final three outs of the game in the seventh to improve to 4-2 on the year and improve the Tar Heels to 4-1 at the Cathedral City Classic. The Tar Heels will now head home before hosting UNC Greensboro at 3 p.m. in a doubleheader on Wednesday. .
