Orange Top Tar Heels for First Conference Win

Saturday, March 7

Chapel Hill, NC

1 PM

Syracuse University

9-10, 1-1

North Carolina

9-12, 3-2

Syracuse

North Carolina

3/7/2020 5:57:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A three-run home run in the fifth inning off the bat of Gabby Teran proved to be the different as Syracuse (9-10, 1-1 ACC) downed North Carolina (9-12, 3-2 ACC), 9-5, Saturday afternoon at Anderson Softball Stadium. The Orange scored the final seven runs of the game after trailing, 5-2, to pick up their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season.

Four different 'Cuse players had multiple hits (Rebecca Clyde – 3, Jamie Gregg – 2, Neli Casares-Maher – 2 and Lailoni Mayfield – 2) and the Orange totaled 13 hits on the afternoon. In addition to Teran, Gregg had multiple RBIs, driving in two.

Kaia Oliver started in the circle for Syracuse, but was pulled for Catie Dobbs after the Tar Heels scored five unearned runs in an inning and a third. Dobbs did not surrender a run in 5.2 innings of work and struck out for batters, picking up her second win of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Teran was hit with her third pitch in two games to begin the contest, Gregg reached on an error and Casares-Maher hit an infield single to load the bases for Syracuse with nobody out. The next three Orange hitters were retired, leaving all three runners on base. Teran would get hit with another pitch in the fourth, her fourth of the weekend and eighth of the season.

The Tar Heels left a runner stranded on third in the home half of the first, and 'Cuse opened up a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Clyde doubled with one out and Paris Woods followed with a single, stealing second base during the next at-bat to put two runners in scoring position. North Carolina relief pitcher Katie Grace Olinger threw two wild pitches to Teran, allowing Clyde and Woods to come in to score.

The bottom of the second inning was a wild one, as the Tar Heels put up five runs with five hits and two Orange errors. They quickly had two runners in scoring position with junior Megan Dray and freshman Bri Stubbs leading off with singles and advancing on a double-steal. Kiersten Licea brought the first UNC run in with a sacrifice fly and Kristina Burkhardt picked up an RBI, reaching on a fielder's choice. The next four hitters in a row for the Tar Heels reached base, three with hits and one on a walk, and three more runs came into score. Senior infielder Campbell Hutcherson's single brought home two tallies and she was the last hitter that Kaia Oliver faced before being replaced by Dobbs.

Syracuse chipped away at the 5-2 deficit in the top of the third to get back within two runs. Jude Padilla led off the inning with a single, followed by a double by Lailoni Mayfield and Toni Martin earned the RBI with a base hit up the middle.

The Orange took the lead for good in the top of the fifth inning with Teran's fourth home run of the season. Mayfield led off the inning with a base hit, and Clyde's single to right field moved pinch runner Jessica Skladal to third base, setting the stage for Teran to put 'Cuse back on top, 6-5. Syracuse added insurance in the top of the sixth with a Casares-Maher solo shot and Gregg provided two RBIs with a single in the top of the seventh.

UP NEXT
The rubber match between the Orange and the Tar Heels is scheduled for tomorrow, March 8, at 12 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

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