The No. 25 North Carolina softball team (24-7, 5-1 ACC) ended its 11-game road trip with a 9-2 loss against No. 19 Tennessee (23-5, 3-3 SEC) on Wednesday night in Knoxville.
The Tar Heels entered the game ranked in the Top-25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll for the first time since 2013.
What happened?
After UNC’s first three batters were all retired by Tennessee’s first-year pitcher Caylan Arnold, senior Kendra Lynch made the mistake of walking the Volunteers' sophomore lead-off hitter Aubrey Leach.
Leach reaching first base ignited the spark for a four-run inning that featured another walk and error by the Tar Heels.
UNC did not make it on the scoreboard until the top of the third inning, when junior Taylor Wike hit an RBI double in between center and right field that allowed for sophomore Leah Murray to score to make it 4-1.
However, after a solo home run by Tennessee’s first-year Chelsea Seggern in the bottom of the third inning contributed to a 5-1 lead, the Volunteers came out in the bottom of the fourth inning with yet another four-run inning to dim any glimmer of hope for the Tar Heels.
Who stood out?
The Tar Heels were at risk to be run-ruled in the top of the fifth inning after being down 9-1, but first-year Brittany Pickett led things off with a home run that went far beyond the right field fence to keep UNC in the game.
