Junior Brittany McKinney drove in two runs in the first game with a sixth-inning home run. It was all the Tar Heels needed in a 2-0 win.
In game two, which UNC won 3-2, North Carolina freshman Cara Vitale started things off with a pinch-hit two-run homer in the fifth inning. Senior Stephanie Murad had the game-winning hit, a solo shot in the sixth.
“I think we’re just coming together more as the season goes on,” Vitale said. “With our confidence in the team and the confidence up at the plate, I just went up there today and got it done.”
On Wednesday, North Carolina could not muster much offense aside from the home runs. The Tar Heels were held to just four hits in game one and five in game two.
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That means one third of the team’s hits — three of the total nine — were home runs.
UNC assistant coach Janelle Breneman said she was not worried that the team might be relying too heavily on the home run.
“I don’t care how a run is scored,” Breneman said. “We’re definitely not sitting back waiting for the home run, but we definitely have a lot more power in our lineup this year, so that’s been an asset.”
All three of the home runs came in the fifth inning or later, with few or no runs on the board. McKinney’s and Vitale’s each broke 0-0 ties, and Murad’s with the second game tied at two.
Murad said she always tries to take the same approach to the plate regardless of the situation. But she said that when the team is struggling for runs, it can be tough not to try for a bigger hit.
“I was really waiting for that good pitch because nobody was on,” Murad said of her home run in game two. “It was kind of like, wait for yours and get it.”
Breneman also said that when close games get into the late innings, the team often tries to take a more power-oriented approach, especially with runners in scoring position.
“We have very powerful 3-4-5 hitters that have long-ball potential,” Breneman said. “So if that pitcher misses a little bit, there’s a good chance that it is going 200 feet.
“We’re hitting some balls a long way, and I’m not complaining about that one bit.”
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
