University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
No. 14 Tar Heels Sweep Cavaliers
April 11, 2009 | Softball
April 11, 2009
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Danielle Spaulding struck out 18 batters in game one of a doubleheader sweep for No. 14 North Carolina Saturday over visiting Virginia as the Tar Heels took down the Cavaliers 8-3 and 6-0. With the wins Carolina extends its season-long winning streak to 16 games and improves to 37-7 overall on the year and a league-best 12-2 in the ACC. Virginia drops to 24-14 overall and 2-9 in ACC play.
Spaulding picked up some very early run support as Carolina pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Breanna Brown started things off with a one-out walk before moving to third on a gap shot by Spaulding. A wild pitch plated Brown from third and moved pinch runner Kelsey Green to second before Whitney Allen dropped in a single to score Green from second and give Carolina the 2-0 lead.
ack-to-back singles by Christine Knauer and Brown started a three-run rally in the third as Spaulding helped herself out again by drilling a two-run triple in the gap to make the score 4-0. Allen quickly made it 5-0 with another RBI single.
Virginia got one back on a solo home run by Carly Winger in the top of the fourth but the Tar Heels used the long ball to their advantage in the fifth to claim a big 8-1 lead. Ally Blake and Stephanie Murad hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth as Blake connected on her first career home run, a two-run shot, before Murad connected on her second of the year for the 8-1 advantage. Virginia hit another homer in the seventh to cut the deficit to five (8-3) but it was too late for the Wahoos against Spaulding who racked up 18 strikeouts on the day.
The Tar Heel bats kept pounding out runs in game two as Carolina pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the first when Ally Blake doubled in a pair giving her batterymate, Lisa Norris, a quick 2-0 lead.
Breanna Brown singled home a run in the second giving Carolina a 3-0 lead before Stephanie Murad hit a pinch-hit single back up the middle in the third to score two more runs as Carolina looked to run away with the game early.
A sacrifice fly off the bat of Emily Troup in the fourth made the score 6-0 as Norris cruised after a shaky first inning that saw a pair of hits. The Snellville, Ga., native allowed just one hit the rest of the way as she picked up her 18th win of the season.
The Tar Heels will look to extend their winning streak on Wednesday when they host Winthrop in a midweek doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. at Anderson Stadium.
