UNC softball's staggering performance in batter's box stuns Louisville

Sanaa Thompson stood at home plate.

She paused. Raised her bat and shut her eyes. Thompson took a deep breath to calm down and complete her routine. 

Leading by seven runs in the bottom of the third inning, the Tar Heels had the bases loaded. 

On a 1-2 count, Thompson smashed a grand slam over the center field wall, giving UNC an 11-0 lead in the final game of the series against Louisville. 

“You come around third and your whole team is going crazy," Thompson said. "There's not really a better feeling than that."

Coming off a loss against Liberty last Wednesday in which the Tar Heels were doomed by poor hitting, UNC entered the weekend series against Louisville looking to revitalize its offense. And they did just that. After losing the opening game on Friday evening, 7-4, North Carolina's bats came alive, scoring 27 runs over the next two games and racking up 30 hits. 

“That sends a big message that we're a force to be reckoned with, and that we're going to continue to push in the ACC," head coach Megan Smith Lyon said. "And offensively we're going to do some damage."

The series started out rough for North Carolina as they failed to take advantage of opportunities offensively. After scoring two runs in the second inning and recording 13 total hits, the Tar Heels were ultimately unable to catch up with the Cardinals.

Going into Saturday’s match, UNC knew a change was needed. They needed to stay calm. They couldn't put too much pressure on themselves, like they did on Friday. 

"They all want to do so well," Lyon said. "Sometimes, you can want it too much." 

With a fresh mindset, the Tar Heels got off to a fast start in the second game of the series, scoring two runs in the first inning. In the third and fourth, UNC added four and five more runs, respectively. Then, in the fifth inning, Thompson homered to force the run-rule as UNC won, 13-5. 

Following their win on Saturday, the Tar Heels brimmed with confidence.

“There's no pitcher on that staff we can't hit,” Thompson said. "And there's no hitter on the other team that we can't get out." 

On Sunday, UNC picked up right where it left off. While holding the Cardinals scoreless for three straight innings, the team was firing on all cylinders, racking up 11 runs in just the first three innings. 

In the third inning, senior first baseman Carlie Myrtle and graduate designated player Kiannah Pierce both homered. This success was the culmination of the team’s growth over the course of the series, and precisely the rebound the team needed after their shoddy offensive performance against Liberty last week. 

Despite swapping pitchers three times, Louisville could not quell North Carolina’s hitters on Sunday.

“We just know that if I don't get it done, the person behind me is going to get it done," Myrtle said. "So for us to just be able to play freely and trust the person behind [us], it just creates a no pressure situation in the box and that's when we hit best. That's when we win games."

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