Just five days after watching her teammates take on East Carolina from the dugout, senior catcher Ally Blake swapped her knee brace and crutches for a bat and cleats to compete in this weekend’s 2-1 series win against Virginia Tech.
In the series opener, which marked the first game that the North Carolina softball team has faced against an ACC opponent this season, Blake returned to action for the first time in three games and delivered a clutch RBI in extra innings.
After falling behind 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning, the Tar Heels rallied back to tie the game at two with the help of an RBI single in the third by sophomore outfielder Amy Nece and a solo homerun in the fourth by redshirt junior first baseman Constance Orr.
At a score of 2-2 after seven innings of play, the game went into extra innings.
It was not until the top of the ninth that Blake entered the game to pinch-hit for Elisha Elliott. But once coach Donna Papa gave her the word to hit the field, she performed in impressive fashion.
“It felt great to get back into the lineup this weekend,” Blake said. “I was just trying to be ready if my team needed me and when they did, I just wanted to be as focused as I could.”
With one out, runners on first and third and a .328 season batting average, Blake doubled to right field, bringing in the runner from third and giving her team a 3-2 lead. This margin would ultimately be enough for the Tar Heels to hold on and take a 1-0 series lead over Virginia Tech.
“I think it’s great (to have Blake back). She’s one of our leaders at the plate and also in many ways outside of hitting,” Papa said. “She gave us a lift, especially in the ninth inning when she came in and delivered that big hit.”
The Tar Heels dropped the second game of the series late Saturday in a 5-0 shutout defeat. However, it was not a game that the players, namely Blake, saw out of reach.
