Softball loses two to North Carolina
Tech's women's softball team lost two of three games against North Carolina at home over the weekend.
The Jackets, ranked No. 24 in the nation, were outscored by just one run in all three games and held the Tar Heels to 14 runs, but could only come away with one victory.
North Carolina took 13 innings to win the first game of the series, 4-2.
Blair Shimandle picked up an RBI in the second inning while Brittany Barnes hit her 11th home run of the season to help Tech race out to a 2-0 lead.
Tech held on to the advantage until late in the game when Cassie Palmer hit a two-run home run in the seventh to tie the score at 2-2.
At the top of the 13th inning, Palmer put UNC in the lead for good, hitting a two-out double into left center field.
The Jackets had nine hits, but failed to score a run after the fourth inning.
Catcher Savannah Brown and left-fielder Blair Shimandle each picked up two hits.
The pitchers for both teams threw complete games, lasting 12 innings. Tech's Tiffany Johnson fell to 13-5 with the loss.
The marathon game was the longest Tech has played in its history. Their previous record, 11 innings, happened once in 1989 and again in 1990.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Tech ended UNC's 28-game winning streak and handed the Tar Heels its first conference loss of the season, winning 5-4.
First baseman Whitney Haller and designated hitter Kristina Hull each hit two-run homers in the first inning to help Tech to a 4-2 lead. Brown padded the lead in the second, adding a run off of a single.
Both starting pitchers were pulled just two innings in, with Tech's Sarah Wood allowing two runs on three hits while walking two.
The Tar Heels' Amber Johnson allowed five runs on four hits and two walks.
The relief pitchers fared better, combining for one run, six hits and no walks for the remainder of the game. While Tech allowed another run, Tech could not be caught. The Jackets' Whitney Humphreys picked up the victory in five innings of work.
Tech still committed two errors to allow the Tar Heels to stay close throughout the game. North Carolina player Erin Andrews scored an unearned run after a wild pitch. In the fourth, another Tech error allowed one more score to make it 5-4.
Tech lost the final game and with it the three-game series to the Tar Heels, 6-4.
Taking a brief lead early in the game, Tech led 1-0 after the first inning and looked to cruise to their second straight victory as the next two innings were scoreless.
North Carolina began their comeback in the fourth and scored two runs to take the lead.
They added four runs over the next two innings to secure a comfortable lead with a four-run cushion.
Defensive errors hurt the Jackets again, with two unearned runs pushing the Tar Heels ahead in the game.
Johnson, the relief pitcher, allowed no earned runs, but two unearned were scored because of the errors.
She allowed just one hit while striking out three hitters in 2 and 1/3 innings of work.
Humphreys returned as a pitcher, this time as the starter. She pitched 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and four runs.
Haller helped the Jackets' offense, hitting two of three including her 10th home run of the season. Shimandle also had two hits and scored one of Tech's four runs.
Tech has now lost nine of 15 after rushing out to a 24-3 overall record. The team is just 4-5 in ACC conference play. They play Florida State next in Atlanta starting this Saturday. The two teams play a doubleheader on Saturday with games starting at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. They finish on Sunday with a 1 p.m. game.
