The North Carolina softball team (14-3) notched its fifth win in a row with an 18-3 rout of St. Joseph’s (6-5) on Friday evening in the first game of the Mizuno Showdown at Anderson Softball Stadium.
Four home runs — UNC’s most in a game this year — and a spate of errors by the Hawks pushed the Tar Heels to the big win, which ended by mercy rule after four and a half innings.
UNC started on a high note in the bottom of the first. With two on and no outs, graduate second baseman Kat Rodriguez sent a ball off the wall in centerfield for a double, scoring the first run.
“RBIs, really it just comes down to the team,” Rodriguez said. “If my girls aren’t on, I’m not getting those RBIs.”
Sophomore center fielder Sanaa Thompson came to the place and launched her second home run of the season into center field to score three more runs, and the Tar Heels quickly had a 4-0 lead.
But St. Joseph’s responded with a two-strike, two-on homer in the top of the second to cut the lead to one.
The high-scoring affair continued into the bottom of the second. After several stolen bases put two runners in scoring position, junior left fielder Lexie Roberts drilled a single on the ground to center, bringing in two runs to make it 6-3.
Two fly-outs and a strikeout retired the Hawks in the third. Leadoff hitter, senior first baseman Carlie Myrtle sent her own second home run of the season into center field.
“Some people that may have had not the greatest games against Elon, I was really excited to see them come through today and not let that affect their next performance,” head coach Megan Smith Lyon said. “Carlie being one of them.”
