University of North Carolina Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Tallahassee, Fla.
10 AM
North Carolina
1-2
8
vs
0
Detroit Mercy
0-1
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Detroit Mercy
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
6
North Carolina
4
1
0
0
3
8
8
0
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Carolina Downs No. 2 Alabama, Detroit Mercy
February 8, 2020 | Softball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Highlighted by a historic win over No. 2 Alabama, Carolina swept the second day of the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee, Fla. The Tar Heels began the day with an 8-0, five-inning victory against Detroit Mercy before a comeback, walk-off win over the second-ranked Crimson Tide on Saturday evening.
"I'm so proud of the effort we had and the belief in one another to stay loose and play our game," head coach Donna J. Papa said. "I'm so excited for us to achieve something like this, especially since we were so close yesterday. I'm hopeful that this win will help propel us forward as we make our way through the season."
Setting the tone in the first inning, the Tar Heels picked up their first win of 2020 with an 8-0 win in five innings. Carolina's offense slugged five doubles, highlighted by a two-run double by Brittany Pickett. Starting pitcher Alyssa Stanley struck out three in the complete-game shutout.
Although No. 2 Alabama scored first, Carolina fought through a back-and-forth game with the second-ranked Crimson Tide. Coming from behind, down by four heading to the bottom of the seven, Zoë Goodman pinch hit a bases-clearing double for the 9-8 win, marking the highest ranked win and first win over Alabama in program history. Brittany Pickett struck out six in 6.1 innings before Hannah George picked up the win, dealing the final two outs.
"All weekend we've been telling the team to believe in themselves and to work with each other and for each other," Papa said. "They had such great composure and believed. Alabama is a really good team and put a lot of pressure on our defense, but we just kept making plays. Our hitters went up to the plate with a lot of confidence. To score five runs in the bottom of the seventh is big. I'm just so proud of this team and their fight tonight."
Carolina is an even 2-2 on the season while Detroit Mercy sits at 0-2 and Alabama falls to 1-3.
Key Moments vs. Detroit Mercy
» Carolina posted a clean first frame, highlighted by Stanley's first career strikeout.
» The Tar Heels jumped on the board first, scoring four runs on two hits and a trio of errors. After reaching on an error, Destiny Middleton capitalized on another Titan miscue to put UNC on the board. After a single by Kristina Burkhardt followed by a walk, Megan Dray doubled the Tar Heel lead with a ground ball to the pitcher. Pickett's double made it 4-0 by the end of the first.
» Bri Stubbs led off the second with a double up the middle followed up by a bunt-double from Middleton. Shayla Thompson upped Carolina's score to five on a groundout by the second inning.
» The Titans threatened in the third inning with a pair of two-out hits, but Carolina's defense held strong to keep Detroit Mercy at bay.
» Carolina finalized the game with a three-run, three-hit fifth inning for an 8-0 win. After a double by Lexi Godwin, Dray brought her home on Carolina's fifth double of the day. With the bases loaded, Stanley took a pitch and Kiersten Licea drew a walk to drive in the final two runs.
» Winning pitcher: Alyssa Stanley (1-0) // Losing pitcher: Liz Murphy (0-1)
Key Moments vs. No. 2 Alabama
» Middleton kept the Tide off the board in the first inning, quickly scooping up the ball and throwing over to Godwin for the third out. Shayla Thompson sprinted to left and snagged a lineout in the second to keep Alabama at bay.
» Scoring first, Alabama plated a pair of unearned runs in the third inning following a single by Skylar Wallace triggering the two-run miscue.
» Carolina responded in the fourth as Pickett slugged a three-run homerun to center following a pair of walks. The Tar Heels forced an Alabama pitching change before a groundout ended the inning.
» Alabama responded with a two-run fifth inning to reclaim the lead.
» However, Carolina answered back in the bottom of the frame. Burkhardt walked and stole second. While Megan Dray drew a walk, Burkhardt advanced to third on a wild pitch and capitalized on an Alabama error, knotting the game at 4-4.
» The Crimson Tide began the sixth with back-to-back singles before two fielder's choices allowed runs to score. After a two-run double, Hannah George entered the circle in relief.
» Carolina spoke last with a five-run seventh inning for the walkoff victory. Middleton sparked Carolina's offense in the seventh with her second single of the game. Dray cut Alabama's edge to three with an RBI-single to right. Godwin dropped a two-run double in the same spot, bringing the deficit to one. Pickett was intentionally walked before Goodman cleared the bases with a walk-off double to right-center for the 9-8 win.
» Winning pitcher: Hannah George (1-1) // Losing pitcher: Lexi Kilfoyl (1-2)
Noteworthy
» Carolina's five doubles vs. Detroit Mercy is more than the Tar Heels had in a single game in the past four seasons.
» Brittany Pickett's home run was the first for the Tar Heels in 2020 and her first since April 27, 2019 at Louisville.
» Carolina defeated No. 2 Alabama for the first time in program history, also marking the highest ranked win in program history.
» Destiny Middleton, Megan Dray and Brittany Pickett each had multi-hit games vs. Alabama.
Up Next
The Tar Heels wrap up opening weekend with Detroit Mercy Sunday at 9 a.m. Carolina returns home to host Campbell Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
"I'm so proud of the effort we had and the belief in one another to stay loose and play our game," head coach Donna J. Papa said. "I'm so excited for us to achieve something like this, especially since we were so close yesterday. I'm hopeful that this win will help propel us forward as we make our way through the season."
Setting the tone in the first inning, the Tar Heels picked up their first win of 2020 with an 8-0 win in five innings. Carolina's offense slugged five doubles, highlighted by a two-run double by Brittany Pickett. Starting pitcher Alyssa Stanley struck out three in the complete-game shutout.
Although No. 2 Alabama scored first, Carolina fought through a back-and-forth game with the second-ranked Crimson Tide. Coming from behind, down by four heading to the bottom of the seven, Zoë Goodman pinch hit a bases-clearing double for the 9-8 win, marking the highest ranked win and first win over Alabama in program history. Brittany Pickett struck out six in 6.1 innings before Hannah George picked up the win, dealing the final two outs.
"All weekend we've been telling the team to believe in themselves and to work with each other and for each other," Papa said. "They had such great composure and believed. Alabama is a really good team and put a lot of pressure on our defense, but we just kept making plays. Our hitters went up to the plate with a lot of confidence. To score five runs in the bottom of the seventh is big. I'm just so proud of this team and their fight tonight."
Carolina is an even 2-2 on the season while Detroit Mercy sits at 0-2 and Alabama falls to 1-3.
Key Moments vs. Detroit Mercy
» Carolina posted a clean first frame, highlighted by Stanley's first career strikeout.
» The Tar Heels jumped on the board first, scoring four runs on two hits and a trio of errors. After reaching on an error, Destiny Middleton capitalized on another Titan miscue to put UNC on the board. After a single by Kristina Burkhardt followed by a walk, Megan Dray doubled the Tar Heel lead with a ground ball to the pitcher. Pickett's double made it 4-0 by the end of the first.
» Bri Stubbs led off the second with a double up the middle followed up by a bunt-double from Middleton. Shayla Thompson upped Carolina's score to five on a groundout by the second inning.
» The Titans threatened in the third inning with a pair of two-out hits, but Carolina's defense held strong to keep Detroit Mercy at bay.
» Carolina finalized the game with a three-run, three-hit fifth inning for an 8-0 win. After a double by Lexi Godwin, Dray brought her home on Carolina's fifth double of the day. With the bases loaded, Stanley took a pitch and Kiersten Licea drew a walk to drive in the final two runs.
» Winning pitcher: Alyssa Stanley (1-0) // Losing pitcher: Liz Murphy (0-1)
Key Moments vs. No. 2 Alabama
» Middleton kept the Tide off the board in the first inning, quickly scooping up the ball and throwing over to Godwin for the third out. Shayla Thompson sprinted to left and snagged a lineout in the second to keep Alabama at bay.
» Scoring first, Alabama plated a pair of unearned runs in the third inning following a single by Skylar Wallace triggering the two-run miscue.
» Carolina responded in the fourth as Pickett slugged a three-run homerun to center following a pair of walks. The Tar Heels forced an Alabama pitching change before a groundout ended the inning.
» Alabama responded with a two-run fifth inning to reclaim the lead.
» However, Carolina answered back in the bottom of the frame. Burkhardt walked and stole second. While Megan Dray drew a walk, Burkhardt advanced to third on a wild pitch and capitalized on an Alabama error, knotting the game at 4-4.
» The Crimson Tide began the sixth with back-to-back singles before two fielder's choices allowed runs to score. After a two-run double, Hannah George entered the circle in relief.
» Carolina spoke last with a five-run seventh inning for the walkoff victory. Middleton sparked Carolina's offense in the seventh with her second single of the game. Dray cut Alabama's edge to three with an RBI-single to right. Godwin dropped a two-run double in the same spot, bringing the deficit to one. Pickett was intentionally walked before Goodman cleared the bases with a walk-off double to right-center for the 9-8 win.
» Winning pitcher: Hannah George (1-1) // Losing pitcher: Lexi Kilfoyl (1-2)
Noteworthy
» Carolina's five doubles vs. Detroit Mercy is more than the Tar Heels had in a single game in the past four seasons.
» Brittany Pickett's home run was the first for the Tar Heels in 2020 and her first since April 27, 2019 at Louisville.
» Carolina defeated No. 2 Alabama for the first time in program history, also marking the highest ranked win in program history.
» Destiny Middleton, Megan Dray and Brittany Pickett each had multi-hit games vs. Alabama.
Up Next
The Tar Heels wrap up opening weekend with Detroit Mercy Sunday at 9 a.m. Carolina returns home to host Campbell Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stanley, Alyssa (1-0)
L: Murphy (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Paver 1
Batting:
2B: Middleton, Destiny 1 ; Godwin, Lexi 1 ; Dray, Megan 1 ; Pickett, Brittany 1 ; Stubbs, Bri 1
RBI: Licea, Kiersten 1 ; Thompson, Shayla 1 ; Dray, Megan 2 ; Pickett, Brittany 2 ; Stanley, Alyssa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Middleton, Destiny 1 ; Burkhardt, Kristina 1 ; Godwin, Lexi 2 ; Dray, Megan 1 ; Settlemyre, Abby 2 ; Stubbs, Bri 1
SB: Middleton, Destiny 1 ; Burkhardt, Kristina 1 ; Godwin, Lexi 1 ; Settlemyre, Abby 1
CS: Stubbs, Bri 1
HBP: Stanley, Alyssa 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
C/1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball1B
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
1B
/ SoftballIF
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P/1B
/ Softball
P/1B
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
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