Coming off of a 6-5 win over Towson Friday afternoon, the North Carolina softball team (9-4) defeated Miami of Ohio (5-6) when a scoring streak during the seventh inning secured the 8-7 win.
What happened?
The first and second innings went in Miami’s favor. The Redhawks had one run each inning with four hits and zero errors while the Tar Heels were scoreless with only one hit by sophomore Leah Murray in the first inning.
At the top of the third, Miami had two runs and four hits, increasing its lead to 4-0. UNC’s Murray once again was the only one to get a hit, quickly finding her way to second base thanks to her stealthy steals. North Carolina couldn't capitalize on the sophomore’s play, ending the third trailing by four.
During the fourth inning, Redhawks’ Johniann Wahl batted first, and boosted their lead to 6-0 as she hit a two-RBI homerun out of the stadium. The Tar Heels remained scoreless despite a potential homerun that went behind the foul line at the last second.
For the first time during the entire game, Miami was scoreless during the fifth inning. UNC took advantage of this. Junior Katelyn Shifflett was first to bat, hitting it into the outfield and found her way to second base. Despite first-year Brittany Pickett’s hit being caught in the right outfield, Shifflett quickly stole third base. First-year Hailey Cole was third to bat, and she singled up the middle. As she found her way to first base, Shifflett ran for home, landing UNC its first run.
Miami found its way onto the scoreboard again during the top of the sixth. Although it maintained a six-point lead, an unlucky hit lead to two outs and gave UNC an early chance to bat. North Carolina quickly took advantage of its time during the sixth. Despite the bases loaded during a majority of the inning, UNC came out with only one run, leaving the score 7-2.
As the Redhawks found themselves scoreless for the second time during this game, UNC looked to make up for lost points. Murray and junior Taylor Wike quickly found their way to home base as a result of senior Kendra Lynch’s double to left center. Pickett’s single to right field also allowed two more runners, Lynch and sophomore Katie Bailiff, to run home. By the end of the seventh, UNC scored a total of six runs, taking the lead 8-7, ending the game in a Tar Heel victory.
