The North Carolina Tar Heels softball team (26-9, 6-4 ACC) fell, 7-5, to the Syracuse Orange (21-22, 2-8 ACC) on Friday afternoon at Skytop Softball Stadium.
The Tar Heels offense showed signs of life, but missed opportunities doomed the Tar Heels. Multiple runners left on base in critical situations and pitching struggles hindered UNC’s chances at a comeback.
North Carolina's offense started slow as the first three batters were retired in order at the top of the first. North Carolina junior pitcher Kenna Raye Dark started strong and retired the first three batters faced in the bottom of the inning.
The Tar Heels' offense earned their first run after a double to left by sophomore catcher Raeghan Carlson brought in first baseman Carlie Myrtle after a walk placed her on base. UNC capitalized on its opportunity and ended the inning with a 1-0 lead. Dark followed up, holding the Orange scoreless despite a runner threatening on third, keeping the score 1-0.
Graduate second baseman Kat Rodriguez knocked a three-run homer to center field, expanding the Tar Heels' lead to 4-0. North Carolina continued to threaten but failed to add on.
Syracuse earned its first run following a double to left field by left fielder Gabby Lantier. The Orange added two more runs due to a single by right fielder Taylor Posner that scored the runners on second and third. UNC’s Dark settled in and earned the final out of the third inning, keeping the score 4-3.
The Tar Heels were held scoreless to start the fourth inning. Syracuse threatened to add on to its lead, loading the bases with only one out in the inning. The Orange cashed in two runs following a double to center to go up 5-4, forcing a UNC pitching change. Syracuse scored two more runs to expand their lead to 7-4 after four innings.
UNC earned one run back following a double to center by Rodriguez and threatened to add on further, but failed to capitalize on other opportunities. The Tar Heels' pitching settled in and held the Orange scoreless in the fifth, ending the inning with a score of 7-5.
The Tar Heels' offense showed signs of life in the sixth with one runner on base with two outs, but a fouled bunt ended the inning and held them scoreless. UNC first-year pitcher Lilly Parrish held strong following a lead-off hit to strike out the next three batters and end the inning holding the score to 7-5.
