UNC softball beats East Carolina, 7-6, in extra innings on Wednesday night

The North Carolina women’s softball (30-12, 8-7 ACC) team snuck by East Carolina University (23-17, 9-6 AAC), 7-6, on Wednesday night at Anderson Softball Stadium. 

The Tar Heels narrowly recovered from a feisty ECU team with a dominating performance late in the seventh that carried into extra innings for their first win over ECU since 2019. 

Redshirt senior pitcher Britton Rogers opened the game with a strikeout. She followed with a second strikeout. Finally, ECU's Annie Kate Dalton hit a fly ball to left field, earning the third out and swiftly ending the first inning. 

Junior left fielder Lexie Roberts grounded out to shortstop to start the inning. Senior outfielder Alex Coleman followed with a short hit down the left side to reach first. Graduate third baseman Kat Rodriguez hit a fly ball to center, which was caught, and graduate outfielder Kiannah Pierce was thrown out at first. The Tar Heels ended the inning with one hit and one left on base.

After the first four innings ended scoreless, bats ignited in the fifth. 

In the top of the fifth, Anna Sawyer opened the inning with a double. Trinity Nichols hit one of her own, driving in Sawyer to put ECU on the board. Hannah Evans advanced Nichols to second, and Kanisha Anderson’s grounder up the middle loaded the bases. Emma Jackson then hit another low ball, allowing two runs to score and landing her at second. 

Then, UNC head coach Megan Smith Lyon brought in junior pitcher Kenna Raye Dark with UNC down 3-0.

Dalton managed to get a hit off Dark but sent it to the hands of Roberts, who found the out at first. Morgan Johnson then hit the ball to the hands of Rodriguez, who dropped the ball. This error sent Jackson home but a long throw from Thompson to Blackwell earned the third out. ECU ended the inning with four runs off six hits.

After North Carolina was able to get runners on, Myrtle grounded out into a double play to end the inning.

Dark successfully held off the Pirates and sent them three up, three down for a short top of the sixth.

“We're a team that fights, fights, fights till the end. Doesn't matter what the score is,” Rodriguez said.

Thompson led off with a base hit but was tagged out at first. Graduate infielder Shelby Barbee reached base and was replaced by first-year Ella Fox as a pinch runner. Blackwell then hit to the fence line, sending Fox home and reaching third for UNC’s first run. Jackson followed with a short hit to the pitcher, bringing in the second out but reaching first. Roberts then doubled down the third base line, moving Jackson to third. Coleman hit a high ball to the pitcher, allowing Jackson to score and giving the Tar Heels their second run.

The Pirates then opted for a pitching change, bringing in Jordan Hatch. 

Rodriguez found a base hit and Roberts attempted to run home, the ECU catcher obstructed her run and attempt to score and instead of earning the third out, they called back the play and Pierce was called up to bat. Following a heated reaction, Pierce swung and missed, finding the third out and ending the inning 4-2. 

Dark was back on the mound for the top of the seventh for another three up, three down.

Myrtle led off with a base hit, and Thompson walked. ECU made a pitching change, but Barbee laid down a bunt that was overthrown, bringing in UNC’s third run. With no outs, Blackwell struck out. A wild pitch during Jackson’s at-bat allowed Thompson to score, tying the game. Jackson then struck out, and Roberts was hit by a pitch. Coleman grounded out to end the inning, sending the game to extras tied at 4-4.

When the game's on the line, you want Sanaa on your team,” Lyon said. “You know, she's tough. She's tough in every aspect, as a base runner, as a defender, as a hitter, and she showed that tonight. She was big.”

East Carolina opened the eighth with a slam to the fence. After a wild pitch, she snuck by to second. Following that, Dark walked the next batter. Johnson followed and hit a ball high that was caught by Dark. Then, an ECU player attempted to run home but was tagged out by Blackwell. Hailey Massaro at bat with bases loaded hit a line drive down third and sent Jackson home. Nichols then hit a ball that was fumbled and sent Sutton home, giving ECU a 6-4 lead.

The Tar Heels opened with a Rodriguez hit to first. Pierce followed with a walk. Young bunted but was tagged out at first. Thompson followed with a hit narrowly past third base and sent two runners home, tying the game at six. Blackwell hit a fly ball that was caught for the third out. 

“Before we went out, we said, 'Just win the game, let's just win, just win on three,’ and that's exactly we did,” Thompson said.

Dark opened the ninth with three up and three down. In the bottom of the inning, Jackson advanced to first on a base hit and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Then, Rodriguez successfully sent a ball down the middle and Jackson made it all the way around, ending the game, 7-6, in the ninth inning.

North Carolina next takes on Georgia Tech on Friday at 6 p.m. at Anderson Softball Stadium. 

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