No. 25 Softball Downs North Carolina 9-5

Saturday, April 2

Chapel Hill, N.C.

5:00 PM

University of Louisville

24-6, 0

North Carolina

17-18, 0

Louisville

North Carolina

April 02, 2016 | Softball

Box Score

Vorbrink goes 3 for 3 with a double, triple and home run; Becker drives in four and gets the victory in 9-5 win

By: Lori Korte

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Freshman Jordan Vorbrink went 3 for 3 with a double, a triple and a home run to help lift the University of Louisville softball team to a 9-5 win over North Carolina in the first of a three-game series Saturday evening. With the victory, Louisville extends it win streak to 12 games.

"Credit North Carolina, they struck first, Kristen Brown is an incredible player and she came through for them right away," said UofL Sandy Pearsall. "I was proud of our team because they didn't panic and had faith in their offense. We did a great job of getting some really big hits with people in scoring position. Maryssa threw a good game today, but she did a nice job of containing them when she needed to. I thought our defense made some great plays to help us stay in the game."

The game was delayed four hours due to rain in the area forcing the teams to play a single game on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday.

The Cardinals overcame a 2-0 deficit using 11 hits, with eight of them falling in for extra bases, including three home runs, two triples and three doubles. Junior Maryssa Becker was 3 for 4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs to back a complete game win in the circle to improve to 13-4 on the season and notch her ninth straight victory.

The Tar Heels(17-18, 4-6) jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first when Taylor Wike doubled to set up Kristen Brown's two-run homer.

The Cards answered in the top of the third. Vorbrink laced her first career triple down the right field line for Louisville's first hit of the game. Junior Jordan McNary walked and stole second to place two runners in scoring position with one out in the inning. A fielder's choice by sophomore Sidney Melton saw Vorbrink tagged out the plate, but put two runners on for Becker who sent her sixth home run of the season over the right field fence to put Louisville on top 3-2.

UNC regained the lead with a pair of two-out runs in the home half of the third. Aqulla Mateen got the inning started when she beat the throw on an infield single and proceeded to steal second. Brown was intentionally walked to place two runners on. One out later, back-to-back RBI hits by Berlynne Delamora and Lauren Fuller made the score 4-3.

Once again, Louisville used a home run to answer, this time from Vorbrink in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Nicole Pufahl registered a single and with two outs in the inning Vorbrink connected on her first career homer to pull the Cardinals ahead 5-4.

The Cards used three hits including a home run by Sims and a double by Becker, to put up a three spot in the top of the third. Sims sent a one-out solo shot over straight centerfield to add an insurance run. Vorbrink followed with a double and took third on McNary's groundout. Melton beat the throw for an RBI infield single which brought Vorbrink home. Becker's second double of the game extended Louisville's lead to 8-4.

Louisville tacked on another run in the top of the seventh. Goetz led off the frame with her second triple of the season, extending her on-base streak to 18 games. Sophomore Jenna Jordan's RBI hit made the score 9-4.

After allowing a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth, Becker went on to retire the next nine batters until the bottom of the seventh when Leah Murray reached on an infield single, moved to second on Mateen's groundout and scored on a hit by Wike. Becker and the Cardinals' defense got a pair of groundouts to end the game.

Becker (13-4) allowed five earned runs and struck out four while scattering seven hits in 7.0 innings to get the win in the circle.

Lynch (15-14) took the loss after giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits and striking out two. Wike led UNC with a 2 for 4 performance at the plate. Brown went 1 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs.

"We were a little lethargic to start the game and North Carolina shell-shocked us at first," said Pearsall. "When Becker hit one out, it got the whole team fired up. We got an outstanding performance from Jordan Vorbrink who was certainly a big spark to our offense today."

NOTES:

Vorbrink finished the game a single shy of hitting for the cycle
Louisville extends is win streak to a season-high 12 games - the most since the 2013 season when the Cards put together a 15-game win streak that spanned from March 30 through April 21.
Becker has now reached via a hit or walk in 29 of Louisville's 30 games.
Goetz has now reached via a hit or walk in 15 straight games.
Louisville has hit at least one home run in its last four games and at least two home runs in its last three games.