Early leads tell the tale for softball team's weekend

The importance of a quick start was obvious in the North Carolina softball team's three games during this weekend’s Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, S.C. — especially since the team that scored in the first inning went on to win each game.

UNC went 1-2 in its three games played this weekend. The Tar Heels fell to Appalachian State 4-3 on Friday. And on Saturday, UNC split its doubleheader — defeating College of Charleston 13-2 and losing to South Carolina 6-3. Its fourth game, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled due to weather concerns.

The Tar Heels opened the weekend against Appalachian State on Friday and came out sluggish against the Mountaineers. UNC allowed two runs in both the first and third innings to go down 4-0 before fighting back in the fifth with three runs of their own.

UNC wasn’t able to capitalize on the 11 runners they left on base throughout the game and were unable to add another run in the final two innings of play, giving the Mountaineers the 4-3 win.

“Really disappointed about that game,” Coach Donna Papa said. “We had great opportunities with runners in scoring position and we didn’t get good execution. We wound up getting in a mentality of looking for more walks than being aggressive with our at bats. That was a game you shouldn’t lose.”

After the game, the team met to discuss its lackluster performance. Quality at-bats, solid execution and high energy throughout the game were the focal points going in to Saturday’s doubleheader.

The message was clear to the Tar Heels in the first inning against College of Charleston. UNC batted around the order on the way to a 7-0 opening lead that saw the Cougars pull their starting pitcher before she could get out of the first inning. Senior first baseman Jenna Kelly’s towering grand slam over the left field wall helped set the tone for the rest of the game.

“I didn’t even realize it was a grand slam until somebody told me,” Kelly said. “I knew I had a runner on (third base) so I was just trying to lift the ball to the outfield. Being able to get ahead gives our pitcher confidence and the rest of the team confidence.”

The huge hit sparked Kelly’s teammates, including sophomore outfielder Kendra Lynch who followed up Kelly’s grand slam with one of her own in the third inning. The route was on as North Carolina pulled away easily for a 13-2 victory.

“We knew when Jenna was up that she always comes through, and that just really set the tone,” Lynch said. “It really carried our energy and our high spirits the whole game. We all fed off of that.”

There wasn’t much time to dwell on the win since North Carolina played South Carolina as the second leg of its doubleheader.

The Tar Heels came up with another high-energy performance but fell behind early again. They allowed six runs in the first three innings. Junior third baseman Tracy Chandless hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning to narrow the lead to 6-3, but those were the last runs scored in the game for either team, giving the Gamecocks the win on their home field.

The team might not have gotten the results it wanted in Columbia, but Papa said it is celebrating the little things.

“We’ve really grown as a team this weekend,” Papa said. “We’ve had some disappointment, but we turned it around and we put it in a positive. Even when down 4-0 or 6-0, our team hasn’t folded and that’s what I like about them. That’s something to build on as we go into the ACC games and further into our season.”

sports@dailytarheel.com