North Carolina pitcher Lori Spingola continued her successful freshman campaign by bringing her record to 19-8 on the season, but she wasn’t the only freshman to play a key role in converting a third-straight ACC series win this weekend against Virginia.
Freshman right fielder Jordan Scarboro set the tone in the first game of the series with a go-ahead, two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, propelling the Tar Heels to their first of two wins in the doubleheader Saturday.
Scarboro, who was recruited as a shortstop but quickly converted to an outfielder, has won the praise of UNC coach Donna Papa for working hard to make the transition a smooth one.
“She’s a fighter, and she’s tough, so she made the adjustment pretty easily,” Papa said. “She came out and took extra balls, and she embraced the role.”
Coaches describe the 5-foot-3 outfielder with nicknames such as “mini, but mighty” and “ankle biter,” but warn opposing pitchers they should not overlook her.
“She just goes up there and takes her hacks,” Papa said. “She’s very confident, and she wants to be in that situation.”
Logan Foulks, also in her first year with the Tar Heels, found her stroke Saturday, showcasing some opposite-field power in game two of the series, contributing one of the Tar Heels’ six home runs in the doubleheader. It was her second home run of the season.
“Our coaches are really working on us going up there with a plan, and my plan was just getting up there and looking at the outside pitch, waiting on that one,” Foulks said.
Foulks is in a similar situation as Scarboro, switching from third base to shortstop to keep her bat in the lineup.
