University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: KJ Jugar
Softball Earns 3-2 Victory at Liberty
March 16, 2022 | Softball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Carolina softball team earned their second win in less than 24 hours on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Liberty 3-2 at Kamphuis Field.
Freshman Lilli Backes earned her fourth win of the season in the circle, tossing a complete game, allowing just two earned runs and one walk and striking out seven Flames.
Junior Kianna Jones hit her team-best fourth home run, a solo shot that put the Tar Heels ahead for good in the sixth.
The Tar Heels have now won four straight and six out of the last seven.
This is Carolina's first win in Lynchburg since April 11, 2001.
HOW IT HAPPENED
RECORDS
UNC: 16-10 (2-1 ACC)
Liberty: 14-12 (0-0 ASUN)
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Freshman Lilli Backes earned her fourth win of the season in the circle, tossing a complete game, allowing just two earned runs and one walk and striking out seven Flames.
Junior Kianna Jones hit her team-best fourth home run, a solo shot that put the Tar Heels ahead for good in the sixth.
The Tar Heels have now won four straight and six out of the last seven.
This is Carolina's first win in Lynchburg since April 11, 2001.
HOW IT HAPPENED
RECORDS
UNC: 16-10 (2-1 ACC)
Liberty: 14-12 (0-0 ASUN)
- For the second game in a row, the Tar Heels plated two runs in the first inning. Bri Stubbs got hit by the first pitch of the matchup, before Sara Jubas got on base with a single to right. A sac fly from Taylor Greene scored Stubbs, followed by a RBI single up the middle by Destiny Middleton that scored Jubas
- Lilli Backes struck out the side in the bottom of the second with back-to-back-to-back swinging strikeouts
- The Tar Heels held onto the 2-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth, when the Flames hit a two-run home run that tied it up at two all
- Kianna Jones broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run over the left field fence, putting the Heels up 3-2
- Backes secured the win with two strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh
- This was the second career complete game for Backes
- Backes matched her career-best of seven strikeouts, a record she set on Feb. 18 vs. Missouri
- UNC improves to 13-2 in the all-time series between the two school and is 4-1 on the road vs. the Flames
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Backes, Lilli (4-7)
L: KEENEY, Karlie (8-6)

Batting:
HR: Jones, Kianna 1
RBI: Greene, Taylor 1 ; Middleton, Destiny 1 ; Jones, Kianna 1
SH: Brooks, Skyler 1 ; Perkins, Katie 1
SF: Greene, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stubbs, Bri 1 ; Jubas, Sara 1 ; Jones, Kianna 1
HBP: Stubbs, Bri 1 ; Brown, Alex 1

Batting:
HR: GRIFFIN, Denay 1
RBI: GRIFFIN, Denay 2
Base Running:
RUNS: HEIDORN, Lilly 1 ; GRIFFIN, Denay 1
CS: HOWARD, Devyn 1
HBP: ALLAN, Lou 1
PO: HOWARD, Devyn 1
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