SOFTBALL SWEPT AT HOME BY NO. 19 NORTH CAROLINA

BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2
Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box

RADFORD, Va. – Radford Softball was swept by No. 19 North Carolina on Wednesday evening. The Tar Heels (38-11) won by the scores of 7-1 and 8-1 as they were the first nationally-ranked squad in program history to face the Highlanders (28-17) at RU Softball Field.

UNC's Lori Spingola tossed a two-hitter and struck out 12 as the Tar Heels took game one, 7-1. Spingola also picked up the win in game two with 4.2 innings of shutout relief.

Freshman Frankie Martinez recorded two hits on the day for Radford and senior Nichole Beall launched her 12^th home run of the season in game one.

Beall and Martinez registered Radford's only hits in game one. Beall's solo home run in the bottom of the first provided Radford with its lone run of the game and Martinez's was a pinch-hit two-out single in the seventh.

Haleigh Dickey and Jordan Scarboro each hit home runs for the Tar Heels with Dickey finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI. Scarboro knocked in two and scored a pair.

The teams traded long balls to start the contests, but Dickey's three-run blast to left gave the Tar Heels a 3-1 lead after one frame. Beall countered with a leadoff shot to right center to get the Highlanders on the board.

Spingola retired 17 straight Highlanders after Beall's 12^th long ball of the season and 51^st of her career, before hitting Beall with two outs in the sixth. Beall would go on to steal her Big South-best 24^th base of the season, but was stranded.

Jordan Scarboro added to UNC's lead (5-1) with a two-run home run to dead center in the fourth. They tacked on two more in the sixth on a two-out two-run double by Kelli Wheeler.

Radford avoided further damage as a nice relay from rightfielder Jess Agee through Jackie Warr nailed Wheeler trying to extend the hit into a triple. Also earlier in the frame, senior centerfielder Hannah Ojeda threw a strike to second to catch Lauren Walker after she lined one off the centerfield fence.

Junior Jackie Jenkins went the distance and suffered the loss as she surrendered 12 hits and walked one batter.

A pair of four-run innings and 4.2 innings of shutout relief from Spingola paced UNC to an 8-1 game two win and the sweep.

Back-to-back doubles by Scarboro and Kelsey Green pushed two runs across to start the four-run third for UNC. The Tar Heels added two more on a sac fly and a solo home run by Ally Blake.

The Highlanders used consecutive doubles by Martinez and Ojeda to get on the board in the bottom of the third. They would load the bases, but Spingola entered in relief and struck out both batters to end the threat.

Emily Norton got out of a jam in the fourth when she came in with two on and no outs. After a strikeout and a walk to loaded the bases, she induced a liner to short which turned into a double play to end the frame.

A two-out grand slam by Amy Nece broke the game open in the sixth. All the runs were unearned as a one-out error allowed her to get an at bat in the inning. Nece finished the contest with five RBI.

Scarboro was 2-for-2 with two runs scored for the Tar Heels.

Norton allowed three hits, struck out four and walked one in four innings of relief. Freshman Micalah Sacre (Charlottesville, Va./Orange County) started and surrendered four runs, all in the third, on six hits with three punchouts and two walks.

Senior Vicki Madden doubled in the sixth for Radford's final hit of the day.

Radford remains at home this weekend when it welcomes Gardner-Webb for its final regular season home games for the Highlanders. The teams will square off in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Saturday and the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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