Tar Heels Sweep Duke to Start ACC Play

Saturday, March 10

Chapel Hill, N.C.

1 PM

North Carolina

10-13, 2-0

Duke

12-8, 0-2

Duke

North Carolina

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

March 10, 2018 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery II

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Scoring 14 runs in the doubleheader, Carolina topped Duke in a pair of games Saturday for the 3-0 start to ACC play. Three home runs between the doubleheader propelled Carolina to 7-5 and 7-2 victories in games one and two, respectively, at Anderson Stadium.

"I told the team after the game how proud I am of them because where we have been and where we've gone since last Sunday is tremendous," head coach Donna J. Papa said. "They've stayed in the process with us and I'm really proud that they have believed in themselves, in us and in the process of what we are trying to do."

Campbell Hutcherson, Taylor Wike and Hailey Jensen each logged a home run against the Blue Devils. Additionally, both Wike and Kristina Burkhardt rounded the bases for a triple the games. Carolina's pitching staff and defense limited the Blue Devils to six earned runs on the day. Brittany Pickett went the distance for her ninth win of the season while Kellyn Daly tossed five innings in game two for the win and Pickett came in for the save.

"They executed so well," Papa said. "Our defense was outstanding. Taylor made some great plays, as well as Campbell, Katelyn and our entire outfield. You couldn't ask for them to do much more than what they did. Having Kellyn Daly back was a bright light for us. Brittany Pickett is Brittany Pickett. She gets the job done in two back-to-back games and another in relief. It was such a total team effort and team wins this weekend."

With the weekend sweep, Carolina improves to 11-13 on the season and 3-0 in conference. The Blue Devils fall to 12-9, 0-3 in the ACC.

"What a great way to put everything together on a really important weekend opening ACC play. Our goal is always to win the series to put us in position to win the division. This is a great start. It's hard to beat a team three times. Two out of three is doable, but three games is tough. Duke did a lot of good things. They were aggressive at the plate and good pitching, but we were disciplined and executed really well in the situations we needed to."

Carolina 7, Duke 5

The Tar Heels and Blue Devils traded runs throughout game one, however Carolina came out on top for the 7-5 win. Both Hutcherson and Leah Murray logged two hits a piece while Katie Bailiff, Jensen and Hutcherson each plated two runs for the Tar Heels.

Duke struck first on a solo home run by Raine Wilson for the early lead in the second inning. The Tar Heels bounced back to close the inning on a double play by Hailey Cole and Hutcherson.

However, Carolina responded in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs to take the lead. After a Duke miscue, walk and hit-by-pitch, the bases were loaded as Jensen stepped into the box. Fouling off the first four pitches, the designated player roped the ball to center for a two-run single that gave the Tar Heels a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth, Wilson laced an RBI-single through the left side for the tying run after Jazmine Moreno led off the frame with a double.

The Tar Heels quickly reclaimed the lead in the fourth, putting up four runs on four hits. After a Duke error, Hutcherson cleared the bases with her first career home run. Following a pair of singles by Cole and Murray, Bailiff tacked on two runs with a double to right for the 6-2 lead.

The Blue Devils made it interesting with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and Wilson's second home run in the sixth for a 6-5 ballgame.

Wike ensured Carolina's victory with an RBI-triple to the right field warning track, scoring Murray who reached on her second hit of the day. Duke's Katherine Huey took the loss while Pickett tossed her 11th complete game for the win.

Carolina 7, Duke 2

It was all North Carolina in game two with a 3-0 lead until Duke scored two runs in the sixth inning. However, a four-run bottom of the frame secured the 7-2 victory and the series sweep for the Tar Heels.

Striking first, Jensen cleared the park in the second to give Carolina a 1-0 lead. Murray and Wike began the fifth inning with a pair of singles before Burkhardt's RBI-triple doubled the score. Reaching on a Duke miscue, Bailiff allowed Burkhardt to score from third for the three-run lead.

Daly tossed 5.0 complete innings and faced four batters in the sixth before Pickett entered the circle. An RBI-walk and an infield single scored two for the Blue Devils before a force-out at home, strikeout and popup stranded three to hold on to a 3-2 lead.

The Tar Heels plated four runs in the bottom of the frame for the victory. With two on, Cole plated two runs on a fielder's choice before Wike sent a two-run home run to right field for the 7-4 decision. Daly earned the win while Pickett came away with her second save of the season. Duke's Amelia Wiercioch took the loss.

"We may not have started how we have in previous years," Papa said, "but it's really not how you start. It's how you finish. That's all we care about right now is how we're finishing, progressing and building through this ACC season."

Up next, the Tar Heels travel to UNCW for a 6 p.m. matchup Wednesday in Wilmington, North Carolina before returning home to host Pitt Friday to Sunday at Anderson Stadium.

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