March 3, 2007

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina earned a date in Sunday's championship game of the Tar Heel Invitational with two victories at Anderson Stadium on Saturday, taking a 14-1 decision against Appalachian State in game one and following that with a 5-3 win against Rutgers.

Anna Evans went 3-3 with four RBI, Jennifer Jacobs added a home run and four RBI of her own, and Amber Johnson shined in the circle as Carolina (12-8) rolled to an easy win against ASU (2-10).

UNC exploded for a five spot in the top of the first, with three of the runs coming on Jacobs' fifth home run of the year - her third in as many games. Cassie Palmer, who led off the game with a double to right center, and Breanna Brown, who walked, also scored on the play. The Heels added two more in the frame when a two-RBI single from Asley Oxendine plated Whitney Allen and Anna Evans, staking Carolina to a 5-0 lead before Appalachian State even came to bat.

Evans factored into the scoring again in the top of the third, drawing a leadoff walk and stealing second base before an RBI double from Erin Dudley brought her home and pushed UNC's advantage to six.

Carolina added four more runs on three hits in their half of the fourth to put the game out of reach. Brown and Jacobs each scored their second run of the game in the frame, and Evans added her third when she came home on an errant cutoff throw after picking up a two-RBI triple.

Four more runs in the top of the fifth made the score 14-0 Carolina and gave UNC its highest scoring output this year. Freshman Danielle Spaulding returned from an injury to pick up the first RBI of her career on a sacrifice fly to left field, and Jacobs and Evans each collected their fourth RBI during the scoring spree. Spaulding stayed on to pitch a scoreless fifth in her first game since the opening weekend of the season.

Johnson (4-2) earned the win with four sterling innings before giving way to Spaulding. The Mountaineers managed just one hit against Johnson, who struck out eight and walked none in facing one over the minimum. She has now won her last two decisions.

Against Rutgers, UNC again got on the scoreboard in the first inning, using a single off rightfielder Allen's bat to plate Palmer and Brown. But a Scarlet Knight run in the top of the second quickly narrowed Carolina's lead to 2-1.

The Heels answered in the bottom half to restore their lead to two, though, converting a Joslin Higgins leadoff walk and a Scarlet Knight error to score their third run.

After a scoreless third, the Tar Heels punched two more across in the fourth - courtesy of a two-run Joslin Higgins blast to left field. Christine Knauer, pinchrunning for Allen following her leadoff single, also scored on the play. The shot was Higgins' second of the season and extended Carolina's lead to 5-1.

Lisa Norris sailed along after yielding the second-inning run before a Rutgers single and home run in the top of the seventh made things interesting. But Norris responded with a strike out and a fly out to preserve her eighth win and end the game. She scattered six hits in seven innings and struck out seven.

Allen accounted for two of UNC's seven hits and had two RBI against Rutgers.

North Carolina, a perfect 3-0 on the weekend, will play tomorrow in the championship game of the Tar Heel Invitational, squaring off against similarly undefeated Marshall (10-7 overall) at 2:30 p.m. at Anderson Stadium. Admission is free.