University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Radford
Carolina Dispatches Radford, 9-4
May 15, 2009 | Softball
May 15, 2009
CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning and advanced to Saturday's NCAA Chapel Hill Regional final with a 9-4 win over Radford Friday night at Anderson Stadium. Lisa Norris, who also got the win in the circle, delivered the key blow in the sixth - a three-run home run off the scoreboard in left center. Carolina (47-12) will face sixth-seeded Georgia on Saturday needing a pair of wins over the Bulldogs to advance to next weekend's super regionals.
UNC, playing as the road team due to the double-elimination format, got things started in the top of the third, but not without a splash of controversy. After a one out double by Breanna Brown and a sacrifice, Brittany McKinney doubled to right center to make it 1-0. The next batter was Emily Troup, who sent a Chelsea Kelley pitch over the fence in right for an apparent three-run home run.
But following a pitching change, Troup was ruled to have missed home plate and was called out on an appeal by Radford, negating her run and leaving the score at 3-0 through two and a half innings.
The Highlanders (41-15) responded to the good fortune of the lost run and quickly pulled even. A one-out RBI double from Leigh Godfrey got Radford on the board before Kristen Shifflett homered to left off UNC starter Danielle Spaulding to tie the ballgame at 3.
Norris (23-8) then came on in relief and kept the Highlanders off the scoreboard until Carolina got the offense going again in the sixth.
A leadoff single from Troup and an error put two runners on for the Tar Heels with two out for Norris, who crushed a Kellie Snooks (11-6) offering off the scoreboard in left to put UNC in front for good, 6-3. Another Brown hit and a pinch-hit RBI double from Kelli Wheeler made it 7-3 and chased Snooks, who was replaced by Kelley. Spaulding welcomed Kelley back to the circle with a two-run homer, pushing the Carolina lead to 9-3.
Radford got its final run of the night on another Shifflett dinger in the sixth, but the Highlanders could get no closer against the electric Norris. Norris, who was roughed up earlier in the day by Georgia, allowed just one hit over 4.1 innings and struck out 11 of the 14 batters she faced, including the final five of the game.
The win sends Carolina to the regional final for the second time in eight all-time NCAA appearances. UNC will need two wins over sixth-seeded Georgia on Saturday to advance, with the first game set for 1 p.m.
