Wednesday, April 17
Lynchburg, Va.
4:00 PM ET
Liberty University
26-17
1
vs
2
North Carolina
28-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
North Carolina
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
2
7
1
Liberty
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
4
0
North Carolina Escapes With 2-1 Win at Liberty
4/17/2024 6:48:00 PM | Softball
LYNCHBURG, Va. - North Carolina held off a late Liberty rally, edging the Lady Flames 2-1 on Wednesday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
With the win, the Tar Heels improve to 28-14 on the season. Meanwhile, Liberty (26-17) saw its winning streak snapped at six games.
Scoring Summary
UNC – 2nd INNING – Coleman singles to right, Thompson scores, 1-0
UNC – 4th INNING – Thompson homers to left, 2-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – McManus singles down right field line, Barrett scores, 2-1
Turning Point
The Lady Flames will host their final Conference USA home series of the season, welcoming New Mexico State to Liberty Softball Stadium, Friday through Sunday.
With the win, the Tar Heels improve to 28-14 on the season. Meanwhile, Liberty (26-17) saw its winning streak snapped at six games.
Scoring Summary
UNC – 2nd INNING – Coleman singles to right, Thompson scores, 1-0
UNC – 4th INNING – Thompson homers to left, 2-0
Liberty – 5th INNING – McManus singles down right field line, Barrett scores, 2-1
Turning Point
- UNC led Liberty 2-0 after Sanaa Thompson's fourth-inning solo home run. The Tar Heels threatened for more in the fifth. With a runner on third and two outs, Lexi Godwin sent a liner which Liberty left fielder KK Madrey robbed with a diving catch.
- The Lady Flames narrowed the gap to 2-1, scoring in the bottom of the fifth. Liberty put its leadoff batter on base in the seventh, as Raigan Barrett singled off of reliever Kenna Raye Dark. After one out, Liberty catcher Savannah Jessee lined into a game-ending double play.
- UNC outhit Liberty 7-4 for the game, while the Tar Heels committed the game's lone error. North Carolina turned two double plays, compared to one for the Lady Flames. The guests left seven runners on base, while the hosts stranded four.
- Talia Hannapel (1-0) earned the win for UNC, allowing one run on three hits, striking out two in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Bailey McCachren pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief, yielding one walk. Kenna Raye Dark picked up her second save, giving up one hit in a scoreless inning.
- Liberty's Kaylan Yoder (9-7) drew the loss, allowing two runs on five hits while fanning three in 3 1/3 innings pitched. Elena Escobar tossed 3 2/3 innings of two-hit relief, walking two and striking out one
- Sanaa Thompson went 2-for-3 with a homer, one RBI and two runs scored for the Tar Heels. Skyler Brooks (1-for-3) doubled, while Alex Coleman batted 1-for-4 and drove in one run.
- Raigan Barrett hit 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored for Liberty. Brynn McManus went 1-for-1 with one RBI, while Sierra Kersten batted 1-for-3.
- UNC leads the all-time series over Liberty 7-3, with the two teams alternating wins and losses in the last three seasons. North Carolina picked up victories at Liberty in both 2022 and this year, while the Lady Flames won in Chapel Hill, N.C., last year.
- The Tar Heels entered the game ranked fifth in the nation with a .357 team batting average.
- Escobar has not allowed a run in her last 13 1/3 innings pitched, dating back to her start at Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
- Barrett recorded her seventh two-hit game of the season.
- McManus has posted pinch-hit RBI base hits in two out of Liberty's last three games.
- Liberty has registered three separate six-game winning streaks so far this season.
- The Lady Flames are now 7-4 in one-run games this year.
- Liberty is 14-4 at home this season overall and is 18-11 all-time against ACC opponents at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Lady Flames will host their final Conference USA home series of the season, welcoming New Mexico State to Liberty Softball Stadium, Friday through Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: TALIA HANNAPPEL (1-0)
L: Yoder, Kaylan (9-7)
S: KENNA RAYE DARK (2)
Batting:
2B: SKYLER BROOKS 1 ; ABBY SETTLEMYRE 1
HR: SANAA THOMPSON 1
RBI: ALEX COLEMAN 1 ; SANAA THOMPSON 1
SH: ABBY SETTLEMYRE 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SANAA THOMPSON 2
HBP: AUTUMN OWEN 1 ; DESTINY MIDDLETON 1
Batting:
2B: Barrett, Raigan 1
RBI: McManus, Brynn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barrett, Raigan 1
HBP: Roupe, Rachel 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
1
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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