UNC softball hits well, but goes 2-2 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge weekend

“Keep your eye on the ball, and hit ‘em where they ain’t,” are the famous words of National Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Keeler. The North Carolina softball team was unable to follow this advice on Saturday.

UNC played a double-header on Saturday afternoon as the team defeated Wisconsin, 9-7, and lost to Illinois, 2-5. These were two of four weekend home games for the Tar Heels, who finished 2-2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Anderson Stadium.

North Carolina recorded 18 hits in its first game against Wisconsin, including a two-run home run by first-year Megan Dray. UNC amounted nine runs in that game, and was able to hold on in the late innings to grab a win.

“I thought we attacked the ball really well,” sophomore pitcher Brittany Pickett said. “That’s what we’ve been focusing on all week, especially after our midweek loss. We really proved to ourselves that coming back and executing good hits and making sure that we don’t leave runners on, I think we did really well with that.”

Pickett contributed to the victory as she recorded two hits, including an RBI double that hit off the outfield wall. She proved most valuable, however, on the mound. Pickett pitched 4.2 innings in relief, and earned her fourth victory of the season.

“I think she’s an outstanding pitcher,” head coach Donna J. Papa said. “She’s one of the best in our conference. One of the best in the nation, I think, overall. She’s a dominant force out on the mound, and then she’s a big presence up at the plate.”

Overall, the Tar Heels had a strong performance against Wisconsin. They set season highs in hits and runs scored along with some solid pitching.

North Carolina’s pitching remained somewhat consistent in its second game of the afternoon against Illinois, but while the Tar Heels produced nine hits, the runs rarely came.

“We fell short in this game,” Papa said. “But I like how we competed up at the plate. And we hit the ball hard. We had the right people up too in the last game with the bases loaded, having Brittany Pickett.”

Hitting wasn’t the problem for UNC in its 5-2 defeat. The Tar Heels loaded the bases twice; they just couldn’t keep the ball away from the defenders in key situations, with eight runners left on base.

“It’s all about your opportunities,” Papa said. “And like I said, we hit the ball hard in a lot of those opportunities with runners on (base), and we hit it at somebody. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”

This problem was best exemplified in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded. Pickett was at the plate, and she crushed the ball to left field. Just as she thought her team would gain the lead, the ball landed in the glove of the left fielder near the warning track.

“It was a good solid hit,” Pickett said. “But I just got under it a little bit trying to work on extension and everything. But it’ll come. I felt really confident going up to the plate, and I was really hoping to score runs, but that’s OK.”

The Tar Heels did all that they could to win the game: they pitched well, they hit the ball hard, and they played solid defense. However, sometimes the ball doesn’t land “where they ain’t.”

“We really hit the ball like we wanted to,” Pickett said. “We hit the ball hard. We had a few defensive errors, but other than that, we played a really good game. That’s a loss I would take.”

“Certainly we don’t like to lose,” Papa said. “But we put ourselves in a position to win every single inning, and that’s what I like about how we competed.”

@ballermike28

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