Feb. 16, 2008

Tar Heels Open Florida Tournament With 8-0 Win

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The North Carolina softball team opened the Cox Communications Classic with another impressive 8-0 victory in five innings over East Tennessee State on Friday. Danielle Spaulding struck out 11, including the final six batters she faced, as she won her first start of the season. Spaulding also helped herself out at the plate as she hit a solo shot to put the Tar Heels ahead early.

A two-out rally in the top of the first put Carolina up early as Cassie Palmer worked a full count walk and then proceeded to steal second. Hot-hitting Emily Troup picked up her eighth RBI of the year as she laced a ball just inside first base that rolled into the corner for a triple. Palmer produced in the field as well in the bottom half of the first as she turned a double play as she tagged the runner and fired to first for the twin-killing.

The Tar Heel offense put another big number on the scoreboard in the second as Spaulding led off with her second homer of the year, a shot to dead center. Bree Ensminger and Stephanie Murad followed with back-to-back singles as the duo would later score to go up 4-0.

Norris' No-No Pushes Carolina To 7-0

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Lisa Norris was nearly perfect Friday morning as she led the Tar Heels to a 3-0 no-hitter win over Stetson in the second game of the Cox Communications Classic in Gainesville, Fla. Norris also drove in all three runs as she hit a towering three-run home run to dead center field in the late innings. The Tar Heels will return to action on Saturday when they take on College of Charleston (9 a.m.) and No. 10 Florida (1:15 p.m.).

From the first pitch the Tar Heels and the Hatters were in a pitcher's duel as a Danielle Spaulding double was the only hit through the first four innings. Norris had just one slip up in the game as she walked the third batter she faced but did not allow a runner the rest of the way and racked up 12 strikeouts in the process.

The no-hitter was in jeopardy in the second inning when a ball was drilled to the right center field gap but Anna Roberts was there to cut it off with an amazing diving catch to keep the no-hitter in tact.

Georgia Tech Comes Back To Beat MTSU 2-1, But Falls To New Mexico 1-0

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Georgia Tech Softball Team (3-4) split a pair of games today on the first day of the Georgia State First Pitch Classic. Freshman Amanda Crow's first career hit was the game-winning RBI single as the Yellow Jackets rallied to beat Middle Tennessee State (1-4) 2-1 to begin the day, but New Mexico (3-1) pitcher Kelly Ninemire tossed a six-hit shutout in the nightcap as the Lobos edged the Jackets 1-0.

The game with Middle Tennessee State was scoreless until the top of the sixth inning when the Blue Raiders struck for an unearned run off Tech freshman pitcher Stephanie Morris. The Jackets responded with a two-run bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead for good. Junior Whitney Haller started it off with a double down the left-field line. Pinch runner Kelly Eppinger tied the game two batters later when Blair Shimandle tripled into the right-center field gap. Crow followed with a RBI single into left field plating Shimandle with the eventual winning run. It was Crow's first career hit and RBI.

Boston College Drops First Two Decisions

GREENVILLE, N.C. - In their first action of the season, the Boston College softball team (0-2, 0-0 ACC) dropped two on the day, falling to Ohio (1-1), by a score of 4-2 and to East Carolina (1-0) by a score of 1-0, at the East Carolina Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C.

Senior Amanda Booth, went 3-for-6 with a run on the day. Freshman pitcher Allison Gage, who got her first collegiate start against East Carolina, pitched 7.1 innings, allowing just six hits and a walk.

Sophomore Taylor Peyton (0-1) got the start for the Eagles against the Bobcats. Ohio managed to jump out in front early, putting together two runs in the second off a bases loaded walk and scoring on an error. They scored again in the sixth, getting two more runs on RBI singles. Peyton finished the game going six innings, allowing three earned runs off of eight hits.

Wolfpack Falls to FAU in 10-Inning Marathon, 6-3

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Becky Brandies hit a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th-inning to put Florida Atlantic over NC State at the FAU "Strike-Out" Cancer Tournament on Friday, Feb. 15. Blair Harkey went 3-for-4 with a run scored in the two hour and 41 minute affair, the Pack's longest of the year.

The decision sends State to 3-4 on the year, while Florida Atlantic moves to 2-3.

Mendy McKenzie (2-1) picked up her first loss from the circle in a red and white uniform, fanning 10 batters while pitching the entire contest. Amber Barton (2-1) secured the win for the Owls, collecting 12 k's and allowing just one earned run.

Barton helped out her own cause by driving the first pitch out of the yard in left field to start the bottom of the second.

NC State Drops Tournament Opener to Kent State, 6-2

BOCA RATON, Fla. - NC State lost its opener at the FAU "Strike-Out" Cancer Tournament to Kent State, 6-2, on Friday, Feb. 15, in Boca Raton, Fla. The loss moves the Pack to 3-3 on the young year, while the Golden Flashes improve to 3-3.

Lindsay Campana (1-3) took the loss for State, while Kylie (2-2) Richards picked up the decision for KSU.

Kent State put three runs on the board with two hits in the top of the third. Heather Duhon reached first on an error at third and Lauren Brocklehurst dropped a single. Duhon and Brocklehurst then both moved up a bag on a Campana wild pitch. Kim Hamilton followed by laying down an RBI bunt in front of the plate, bringing Duhon in. Jessica Toocheck then sent an RBI groundout to first, and Jessica Carmichael added another run with a base hit up the middle.

Seminoles Drop 5-2 Decision to Jacksonville

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - In its first game of the Seminole Classic, the Florida State softball squad fell 5-2 to in-state rival Jacksonville on JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex. The Seminoles are now 3-3 on the season but still lead the overall series with the Dolphins 8-4.

Leading the Seminoles in hitting was freshman Allison Collins who hit her third career homer in the top of the fifth to score the first run of the evening for FSU. Collins went 1-for-3 against Jacksonville to improve her season average to .389, good for third on the team.

Shortstop Ashley Stager also went 1-for-3, tripling down the right field line on a full count. Stager, whose .421 batting average is second for FSU, scored the final run of the evening off an RBI single by Brittany Osmon.

Virginia Drops Season-Opener to Southern Utah, 5-3

TEMPE, Ariz. - Virginia's Lindsey Pruess and newcomer Carly Winger each belted their first home runs of the season, but Virginia fell it is season-opener to Southern Utah, 5-3, at the Kajukawa Classic.

The Cavaliers scored one in the first and two in the third and finished with five hits. Southern Utah answered in the first, had a big three-run second inning and scored an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. SUU tallied six hits off junior pitcher Karla Wilburn.

"It was a good start and a good finish, but we had a lull in the middle," Virginia head coach Eileen Schmidt said. "All the things that happened are fixable, so that is the positive."

Virginia's first inning was highlighted by Pruess' solo shot. Winger hit a two-run homer in the third that also scored fifth-year Meghan O'Leary, who walked just before the third-year transfer stepped to the plate.

Virginia at Arizona State, 10:30pm ET