The UNC softball team (23-7, 4-2 ACC) dropped to 0-2 versus ranked teams on Wednesday night when it lost to No. 22 Liberty (24-6, 5-0 CUSA), 3-1, in Anderson Softball Stadium.
North Carolina kept up with Liberty early, but several missed opportunities with runners in scoring position plagued the Tar Heels.
“We just didn’t do what we needed to do offensively,” head coach Megan Smith Lyon said. “That was kind of a struggle for us this weekend and a struggle for us again today.”
The Flames kicked off scoring the top of the second inning after both teams went three up, three down in the first. A double from the designated player fell in between sophomore center fielder Sanaa Thompson and senior right fielder Alex Coleman. The Tar Heels secured three consecutive outs, but on the second out the player tagged up and took home, just missing the tag.
But in the bottom of the second, senior first baseman Carlie Myrtle answered, launching her ninth home run of the season out into center field.
In the top of the third, graduate third baseman Shelby Barbee missed a field, sending the ball into the dugout for a ground rule double, which put runners on second and third. A fielder’s choice to first base sent a run home, and Liberty took the lead, 2-1.
Several runless innings followed. With two outs in the top of the fifth and a runner on second, UNC missed the out at first but recovered to get the ball to sophomore catcher Rayna Blackwell who tagged the runner at home to end the inning.
The Tar Heels put two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth, but Liberty escaped with a strikeout and a ground out to shortstop to maintain a one-run lead.
“We had some unfortunate plays that they made that stopped us from capitalizing,” Myrtle said. “So, kudos to them.”
