University of North Carolina Athletics
Softball Heads North For Series At Boston College
April 8, 2016 | Softball
CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. - Fresh off a trademark win at No. 10 Georgia, Carolina hits the road for an ACC series at Boston College this weekend. The Tar Heels will play at doubleheader on Saturday, April 9, at 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at Noon. Live stats for all three games will be provided by SideArm.
Boston College enters the weekend at 19-13 on the year, including an even 3-3 in ACC play. The Eagles swept Georgia Tech to open the conference season, then dropped three at Virginia Tech the following weekend. Weather forced a cancellation of BC's home series against Virginia last weekend, so Saturday's doubleheader will be the Eagles' 2016 ACC home opener.
Against the Eagles
Carolina has had tremendous success against Boston College over the years, going 30-3 all time and 27-2 since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2006. UNC is 24-2 against BC during conference play and a perfect 3-0 in the ACC Tournament, facing in the Quarterfinals in 2007, 2011 and 2012.
The Tar Heels bring an eight-game winning streak into this weekend's games, with their last loss coming back on May 5, 2012. Carolina dropped one of three in its last trip to Chestnut Hill, a 4-3 decision, after run-ruling the Eagles, 12-2 in five innings, earlier in the day.
Carolina has been to Chestnut Hill four times, going 10-2 all time at Boston College over four ACC series.
Carolina Upsets Top-10 Georgia—Again
On April 6, 2016, UNC put together a spectacular defensive display in Athens, Ga., taking down No. 10 Georgia, 2-1, in eight innings. The win marked the second straight season that UNC has defeated a top-10 Georgia squad in Athens, after the Tar Heels toppled then-No. 9 Georgia, 15-9, on April 1, 2015. It was the eighth victory all time over a top-10 opponent, four of which were against Georgia squads.
In 2015, the Tar Heels matched the most runs ever allowed by a Georgia opponent in program history. In 2016, the Bulldogs entered the game with the best team batting average in the nation (.370), but were limited to just a single run.
Kendra Lynch hurled the complete game from the circle, allowing just one run on an RBI ground out in the fifth. She was equally prolific at the plate, driving in the first run of the game with a second-inning solo shot. A diving catch by Aquilla Mateen in left center wrapped up the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extra innings, and a monster line drive over the left field wall by Kristen Brown, the 60th home run of her career, put UNC back on top, 2-1. Leah Murray made a diving catch for the first out of the eighth to avoid a leadoff bloop single. Lynch struck out Alex Hugo, who had hit a walk-off home run to knock UNC out of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, for the second out, then caught Maeve McGuire looking to strand two and seal up the extra-inning victory.
Three Tar Heels Earn ACC Weekly Honors
On April 4, freshman Berlynne Delamora became the third Tar Heel to earn a weekly honor from the ACC, earning ACC Player of the Week after leading UNC to a 4-1 week including a series victory over Louisville. The Tar Heel third baseman hit .667 (8-for-12) with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage, and drove in several key runs including a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh in game two against the Cardinals.
Delamora's award followed teammates Kendra Lynch and Kristen Brown, who won weekly awards the first two weeks of the season. Lynch became the first Tar Heel since 2013 to win ACC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 15 after tossing a pair of complete-game shutouts on opening weekend. Brown was then named ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 22 after leading the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with a 1.375 slugging percentage and three home runs.
Papa Earns 200th Career ACC Victory
With UNC's walkoff win over Louisville on April 3, 2016, head coach Donna J. Papa earned her 200th career ACC victory. The Tar Heel skipper is the first ACC head softball coach ever to reach the milestone. Florida State is the only other Atlantic Coast Conference member to have reached 200 wins as a program, but its wins are split between long-time head coach JoAnne Graf (121) and current director Lonni Alameda.
Coach Papa ranks sixth among active Division I head coaches in career victories, with 1,175 over 33 seasons, and is 12th all time overall.
Tar Heels Take Two From Cards
Carolina claimed its second ACC series of the season on April 2-3, taking 2-of-3 from Louisville. The Cardinals, who were ranked No. 25 by ESPN.com, entered the week at a near-perfect 9-1 in ACC play. UNC had an early lead, fell behind, retook it, then found itself in a 5-5 tie with the Cardinals in the series opener, but U of L scored four runs over the final two innings to take the lid lifter, 9-5.
UNC clashed in a similar battle on Sunday morning, allowing three runs in the top of the sixth to lose the lead and head to the seventh knotted at five, but Berlynne Delamora hit a walk-off RBI single, driving in Kiana Sherlund, who had drawn a leadoff walk, to even the series.
The finale was even more heated, as Carolina scored first, then fell behind, 4-2. A three-run fourth gave UNC back the lead, but another two-run homer made it 6-5 Louisville. Carolina battled back once again to take an 8-6 lead into the seventh. Lauren Fuller, who earned her first career victory earlier in the day, entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh. She drew a fly ball to right, and a fantastic throw by Sherlund to Katie Bailiff caught the runner at the plate for a game-saving double play, as Fuller picked up her first career save and UNC won the series with a Sunday sweep.
