Softball ACCtion: Saturday, April 25
Pair of sweeps tightens conference race.
Kristen Adkins' shutout of No. 12 North Carolina snapped the Tar Heels' 23-game winning streak.

Kristen Adkins' shutout of No. 12 North Carolina snapped the Tar Heels' 23-game winning streak.

April 25, 2009

No. 20 Softball Sweeps No. 12 North Carolina To Take Over First Place In The ACC
A bases-loaded, RBI single by sophomore Caroline Hilton in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the No. 20 Georgia Tech softball team (37-13, 14-3 ACC) a 3-2 win over No. 12 North Carolina (44-9, 15-4) and helped to complete the doubleheader sweep Saturday afternoon at Mewborn Field.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets move into first place by percentage points in the ACC and clinched their sixth straight series win this year. In game one, they scored six runs off UNC ace Danielle Spaulding, including two-run home runs by Kristen Adkins and Whitney Haller to snap the Tar Heels' 23-game winning streak which was the longest in the nation and win 6-0. Spaulding, who came into the game with a 19-2 record and a 0.88 ERA, tied a season-high by allowing the six runs and did not get out of the fifth inning. She entered today with the seventh-best ERA in the nation and leads the country in strikeouts.

Sophomore Kristen Adkins (19-7) pitched a five-hit shutout in game one, while senior Tiffany Johnson (13-3) earned the win in game two. Freshman Kelsi Weseman led the offense going 4-for-6 with a home run and three RBI. Adkins, Haller and redshirt junior Jen Yee also went deep for the Yellow Jackets. Yee walked four times in game one.

Seminoles Sweep Doubleheader Against Cavaliers
On a beautiful April day in Tallahassee, the No. 18 Florida State softball team swept a doubleheader against Virginia, 3-1 and 12-4 (6), in front of one of the largest crowds at JoAnne Graf Field this season. The pair of wins improves the Seminoles' record to 37-13 and 13-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and extends their winning streak over the Cavaliers to nine straight as the visitors from Charlottesville slip to 25-19 and 2-14 in the league.

Picking up win number 23 in the second game was junior Terese Gober (23-8) who gave up four earned runs on seven hits with an impressive 11 strikeouts. She is now averaging a 1.26 ERA with 186 punch outs this year.

In the higher-scoring second game, the Noles were out to an early 3-0 start after the first inning thanks to a Kaleigh Rafter two-RBI double to right center that scored Carly Wynn and Shayla Jackson. The senior would also score thanks to an RBI-single to center by Ashley Stager.

Everhart's heroics help Tech split with Terps
Jessica Everhart doubled in a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Virginia Tech softball team a 6-5, come-from-behind win over Maryland in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. The Terrapins won the first game 5-4 and the teams will play the pivotal third game Sunday to decide the series winner.

In the second game, Tech jumped out to 3-1 lead when Beth Walker hit a bases-clearing, three-run double to right field. In the fourth inning, Whitney Davis scored on a passed ball to make it 4-1, but the Terps slowly chipped away and finally took the lead with a four-run fifth inning.

Trailing 5-4 heading to the bottom of the last inning, Erin Ota reached on an infield single and Charisse Mariconda walked. Everhart stepped up and ripped a shot to deep center and over the head of Niki Lau. Ota scored easily from second and the speedy Mariconda chugged around from first and scored just underneath the tag to send the Tech bench spilling onto the field.

Campana No-Hits Boston College
Lindsay Campana dazzled in the circle, tossing her first career no-hitter as NC State topped Boston College, 3-0, in the first of two games on Saturday, April 25 at Shea Field. The win snaps an eight-game losing streak and pushes State to 21-24 (4-13 ACC), while the Eagles dip to 17-27 (3-11 ACC).

Campana used a variety of pitches to keep BC off kilter all afternoon. She struck out 12 and walked three as the Eagles had just one base runner reach second base.

The no-no stands as the 12th in State’s six-year history. Mendy McKenzie tossed the last no-hitter, a perfect game against Winthrop on March 26, 2008.