Unranked UNC softball tops ninth-ranked Georgia

The North Carolina softball team faced a large challenge, but the Tar Heels were prepared and believed.

UNC (25-9) beat No. 9 Georgia team 15-9 on Wednesday. This fourth consecutive win came off the heels of a historic hitting weekend for the Tar Heels.

While the result was the same, UNC’s path to victory differed from the successes of the past weekend. Though the Tar Heels put up a whopping 15 runs, they only had one home run on the night — a two-run shot courtesy of senior first baseman Lauren Walker.

UNC wasn’t hitting a record number of home runs this game, but it was able to slide 18 hits past the Bulldogs — a feat the team took pride in.

“I’m fine with us having less home runs and better hitting," Coach Donna Papa said.

“It’s not always about the home runs.”

But trouble struck for UNC in the bottom of the second. The Tar Heels came into the inning up 4-0, but let up seven runs to Georgia (29-9) to make the score 7-4 in the Bulldogs' favor.

“We’ve been down like that before,” Papa said. “Tonight, this team had the most fight of any team I’ve ever had or ever coached.”

UNC freshman infielder Taylor Wike saw Georgia's splurge as the wake-up call her team needed.

“I think it motivated us more,” Wike said. “We knew they could score. They punched us in the gut and we knew we had to punch just as hard back at them.”

The Tar Heels did punch back — they scored eight runs in the next two innings while allowing none in that span.

The key to UNC's success in the game came from its preparation and the knowledge that it was facing a tough, SEC opponent.

Walker expressed just how seriously the Tar Heels took this game when it came to preparation.

“We over-prepared for this game, in a good way,” she said. “We took it on as a challenge. We watched film of their pitchers in the days leading up to the game.”

While the game didn't count toward conference play, a win over the ninth-ranked Bulldogs boosts the Tar Heels confidence going into the final stretch of the season. The team is eyeing a chance to play for the ACC championship. 

As for Papa's explanation for the recent success of this UNC softball team?

“Belief," she said. "(It) takes you a lot of places. If you really believe in who you are and what you do, it’s really powerful."

sports@dailytarheel.com