North Carolina softball stayed red hot in ACC play this weekend, breezing to a shortened 9-0 victory in game one before fighting to hold on to an 8-7 win in extra innings in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader at Pittsburgh.
The Tar Heels wasted no time getting ahead in game one, using a grand slam home run from freshman outfielder Kendra Lynch as part of a seven-run first inning.
That proved to be more than enough offense for the Tar Heels, as senior pitcher Lori Spingola dominated in the circle. Spingola pitched five shutout innings to record her seventh win of the season, allowing only three hits while striking out four.
Although she didn’t know it at the time, Spingola reached a new milestone in game one, tossing the 1,000th strikeout of her illustrious UNC career.
“Its pretty to cool to see that big number,” Spingola said. “It’s just a product of how many games I’ve thrown and all the hard work I’ve put into it.”
The Panthers found life in game two, playing tug-of-war for the lead with the Tar Heels. Pittsburgh found itself with a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh inning, loading the bases with two outs in a 7-7 tie.
A soft pop up between home plate and the pitching circle looked like it was going to be the unjust ending to an intense back-and-forth game, but junior catcher Amber Parrish wasn’t ready to shake hands.
“I saw that Lori wasn’t close enough to get it, so I just went all out for it,” Parrish said. “We tried to avoid hitting each other, so I kind of did a flip and just told myself don’t drop the ball, don’t drop the ball.”
The momentum proved to carry over into the Tar Heels’ half of the eighth inning. Sophomore first baseman Jenna Kelly, who got the scoring started for UNC with a three-run home run in the first inning, stepped into the batter’s box with two outs, runners on first and second base and a chance to give the Tar Heels the lead.
