No. 24 Tar Heels Rally For Series Win Over Maryland
Courtesy of: Tarheelblue.com

CHAPEL HILL --- Senior Crystal Cox picked up her sixth straight win as the No. 24 North Carolina softball team split an Atlantic Coast Conference doubleheader with Maryland Sunday at Anderson Stadium. Maryland (14-15, 1-5 ACC) took game one, 4-3, while Carolina (28-10, 4-2 ACC) triumphed in the rubber game of the series, 6-1.

Maryland got to Carolina starter Lisa Norris in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Rachel Greyson and Abbey Welch led off with singles, and Jennifer Belak moved the runners up with a sacrifice. After a walk loaded the bases, Lindsay Klein stroked a double to left center to score Greyson and Welch. Nikki Smith then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Keri Lounge.

The Tar Heels got two of the runs back in the bottom of the frame thanks to an unlikely power source. After junior third baseman Joslin Higgins led off with a walk, junior catcher Whitney Gelin bunted her over to second.

Sophomore second baseman Cassie Palmer then flew out to center, allowing Higgins to move up to third. That brought up sophomore left fielder Ashley Oxendine, who lifted a fly ball over the head of Belak in left for a run-scoring triple. Sophomore Casey Testa followed with a solid single to right center, scoring Oxendine and making it 3-2.

Carolina evened the score in the sixth on a Maryland miscue. After a leadoff single by Testa, pinch runner Theresa Nicholas advanced to second on a Jennifer Jacobs sacrifice. After a Terrapin pitching change, Nicholas took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball.

The Terps made sure it didn't stay tied long, scoring the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh. Welch led off with a single and took second on a sacrifice. A pair of walks by Carolina reliever Amber Johnson (6-2) loaded the bases, and Lindsey Ubrun singled between third and short to plate Welch.

Crystal Crews (9-6), who re-entered the game in the sixth after starting, retired the side quietly in the seventh to pick up the win.

UNC used the long ball to rally for the win in game two. A Ubrun double in the third had given Maryland a 1-0 lead before Carolina came to bat in the fourth. Junior shortstop Anna Evans reached on an error with one out, and freshman third baseman Alyssa Francona ripped her second home run of the year to make it 2-1.

Palmer led off the fifth with a solo shot to push the lead to 3-1, and the Tar Heels would blow it open in the sixth. Norris led off with a walk and took second on an Evans sacrifice. Higgins was hit by a pitch two batters later to put two runners on with two outs, and freshman center fielder Breanna Brown lined a triple to left to clear the bases and make it 5-1. Brown would later score to give Carolina its final margin of 6-1.

Cox struggled at times Sunday but powered through to improve to 13-5 on the season. Crews allowed three runs in four innings to take the loss in the series finale.
Carolina will return to action Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader at the College of Charleston.