The North Carolina softball team (8-4) faced off against Towson (4-6) in its first of four games in the Carolina Classic on Friday afternoon. After a long nine innings, the Tar Heels came out victorious 6-5 in their first game of extra innings this season.
What happened?
The first two innings were not shy on hits — UNC recorded five and Towson recorded one — but none of those hits translated to runs scored.
At the top of the third inning, third baseman Berlynne Delamora made an awe-worthy catch to secure the second out. Towson’s Madison Wilson bunted the ball about 15 yards away from home plate, which Delamora commenced to dive and grab right before it hitting the ground.
The bottom of the third featured three Tar Heel scores. Pitcher Kendra Lynch hit a bullet to left field, resulting in a double and three RBIs.
In the bottom of the fifth, first-year Brittany Pickett made an RBI single to left field to give UNC a 4-0 lead. A few minutes later, in the top of the sixth, Pickett replaced Lynch on the mound.
The Tigers scored their first run in the sixth on a double against Pickett pitching, making the score 4-1.
The game took an unexpected turn in the seventh inning. Towson scored one early run to make the score 4-2. Following the run, Lynch was back on the mound for UNC to finish out pitching duties. After a few at bats, Towson had runners on second and third. Towson’s Brook Miko hit a line drive at first baseman Campbell Hutcherson, a first-year, who was unable to corral the ball. The play resulted in two runs scored, making the score 5-4 in Towson’s favor.
At the bottom of the seventh inning with tensions running high, Delamora, the first batter up, blasted a ball just over the center of the fence, making the score 5-5. Towson was able to close out the inning, however, resulting in a tie to force extra innings.
