University of North Carolina Athletics

Softball Wins Fourth Straight ACC Series With 4-0 Shutout At Georgia Tech
April 30, 2023 | Softball
ATLANTA, Ga. – Behind Lilli Backes' fifth complete-game shutout of the season, the Carolina softball team (25-27, 13-10 ACC) clinched its fourth-straight ACC series victory on Sunday with a 4-0 win at Georgia Tech on Sunday afternoon.
Kiersten Licea had two of Carolina's three RBIs in the victory, one off her first sacrifice fly of the season and the second off an RBI double. Isabela Emerling had the third RBI, hitting her fifth home run of the season and third in conference play.
After a scoreless first three innings, Bri Stubbs singled to open the fourth before stealing second. Stubbs was then plated by Licea with a sacrifice fly to give the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead.
Licea plated the second Tar Heel run of the day in the top of the sixth with an RBI double, before pinch runner Caroline Fox scored on a Georgia Tech fielding error, making it 3-0.
Emerling's home run in the seventh gave the Tar Heels a 4-0 lead.
Backes then retired the side in order in the seventh to secure the victory.
With the win, Backes (16-13) earned her eighth straight conference victory in the circle, allowing just four hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts. She did not allow a walk in the game.
This season she has thrown four ACC complete-game shutouts (vs. Virginia Tech, Pitt, Syracuse and Georgia Tech).
With an infield single, Alex Brown also extended her hitting streak to 16 games, the longest hitting streak for a Tar Heel player since Leah Murray (16) in 2018.
The Tar Heels will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday when they host Furman in Anderson Stadium.
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Kiersten Licea had two of Carolina's three RBIs in the victory, one off her first sacrifice fly of the season and the second off an RBI double. Isabela Emerling had the third RBI, hitting her fifth home run of the season and third in conference play.
After a scoreless first three innings, Bri Stubbs singled to open the fourth before stealing second. Stubbs was then plated by Licea with a sacrifice fly to give the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead.
Licea plated the second Tar Heel run of the day in the top of the sixth with an RBI double, before pinch runner Caroline Fox scored on a Georgia Tech fielding error, making it 3-0.
Emerling's home run in the seventh gave the Tar Heels a 4-0 lead.
Backes then retired the side in order in the seventh to secure the victory.
With the win, Backes (16-13) earned her eighth straight conference victory in the circle, allowing just four hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts. She did not allow a walk in the game.
This season she has thrown four ACC complete-game shutouts (vs. Virginia Tech, Pitt, Syracuse and Georgia Tech).
With an infield single, Alex Brown also extended her hitting streak to 16 games, the longest hitting streak for a Tar Heel player since Leah Murray (16) in 2018.
The Tar Heels will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday when they host Furman in Anderson Stadium.
Stay up to date with Carolina Softball by following the Tar Heels on Twitter and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Backes, Lilli (16-13)
L: Blake Neleman (10-10)

Batting:
2B: Licea, Kiersten 1
HR: Emerling, Isabela 1
RBI: Licea, Kiersten 2 ; Emerling, Isabela 1
SH: Snead, Carsyn 1
SF: Licea, Kiersten 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stubbs, Bri 1 ; Jordan, Aneshia 1 ; Fox, Caroline 1 ; Emerling, Isabela 1
SB: Brown, Alex 1 ; Stubbs, Bri 1 ; Jordan, Aneshia 1 ; Brooks, Skyler 1

Batting:
3B: Emma Kauf 1
Base Running:
SB: Ella Edgmon 1
CS: Paige Vukadinovich 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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