University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
No. 13 Tar Heels Take Series Finale From Hokies
April 19, 2009 | Softball
April 19, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 13 North Carolina softball team extended its season long winning streak to 21 games on Sunday as the Tar Heels claimed a 3-1 win over Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon at Anderson Stadium. Lisa Norris picked up the victory in the circle as she tossed five scoreless innings for her 21st win of the season, while Danielle Spaulding closed out the contest for the first save of the season for the left-hander. Carolina will return to action on Tuesday when the Tar Heels host East Carolina at 6 p.m. in a single contest.
The Tar Heels struck for a pair of runs in the first inning before Virginia Tech coudl get settled into the game. Christine Knauer led off with a single to the shortstop to get things started. Breanna Brown followed by dropping down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled at first by second baseman Kristen Froehlich allowing Knauer to move to third and Brown to move to second for Danielle Spaulding. The junior first baseman laced a pitch in the left center gap scoring Knauer and Brown and giving starter Lisa Norris a 2-0 lead to work with.
Norris would not need much help on the day as she threw just 28 pitches to get through the first three frames. She found herself in a bit of a jam in the fourth when Virginia Tech started a two-out rally with a walk. Following the free pass Beth Walker hit a high fly on the infield that was misplayed putting runners on the corners but it took Norris just four pitches to ring up Whitney Davis on strikes to end the threat.
Carolina tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half of the fourth when Brown singled through the right side to score pinch runner Dani Manko from second staking Norris to a 3-0 advantage. Norris took the momentum into the top of the fifth as she set all three batters she faced down on strikes to get the Carolina sticks back to the dish.
Danielle Spaulding came on in the top of the sixth and provided a scoreless inning before yielding a single run in the top of the seventh before closing the door for her first save of 2009 and extending Carolina's season long winning streak to 21 games, the second longest mark in school history behind the 2007 squad who captured 28 in a row. The lone run in the seventh snapped a scoreless streak of 19 innings for the Tar Heel pitching staff.
Carolina will play a pair of midweek games this week as the Tar Heels host East Carolina in a makeup game at 6 p.m. Tuesday before hosting Charlotte in a single contest at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
