On Friday evening at Anderson Softball Stadium, the North Carolina softball team could have easily come away with a loss after stranding batters on second or third base in four different innings. But it didn’t.
In a 2-1 win over Butler (4-7), junior pitcher Kendra Lynch pitched her seventh complete game of the season, giving up only five hits and one earned run.
A little slow to get the offense going, North Carolina (5-6) scored its only two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
With one out, sophomore second baseman Taylor Wike drew a walk, followed by a single by senior outfielder Aquilla Mateen. Senior shortstop Kristen Brown hit an RBI double in the next at-bat, scoring the first run of the game.
With a little small ball, the Tar Heels tacked on an insurance run on a sacrifice squeeze by senior first baseman Lauren Fuller, scoring Mateen from third base for UNC's second run.
“Sometimes you have to grit out a win, and we did,” Coach Donna Papa said. “I thought that we played great defense (Friday). I thought that we were really solid. Kendra did a great job.”
The Bulldogs countered with a run of their own in the top of the seventh inning, momentarily threatening a comeback.
With one out, Lynch allowed a runner to reach first base on a hit-by-pitch. A ground out and a stolen base later, a Butler single gave the Bulldogs their only run.
“I’m very upset I gave up a run in the last inning,” Lynch said. “I’m very upset about that. I wasn’t sharp to finish, and I just gave up too many hard hits.”
