Cardinals Use Seventh Inning Rally to Split North Carolina Series in Season Finale

Sunday, May 9

Chapel Hill, NC

10:00 AM

University of Louisville

20-27-1, 14-21-1

North Carolina

14-24, 10-18

Louisville

North Carolina

Photo by: Karthik Kalvakuri | Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Use Seventh Inning Rally to Split North Carolina Series in Season Finale

May 09, 2021 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Lori Harmon

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Louisville softball team scored five runs in the top of the seventh to beat host North Carolina 7-3 in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon at UNC's Anderson Stadium. The Tar Heels took the first game 9-5 and the teams finished the four-game series with two wins apiece.

Louisville (21-27-1, 9-14-1 ACC) has earned the No. 6 seed in the ACC Championship and is slated to face Duke Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium in an ACC Network televised game.

Louisville 7 – North Carolina 3
In Sunday's second game, Charley Butler went 2-for-4 with two-RBIs and a stolen base, Jenna Servi had two hits and a run and Celene Funke doubled in a pair of runs as the Cardinals used a seventh-inning rally en route to a 7-3 win over North Carolina.

Makayla Hurst gave the Cards a 1-0 lead by crushing her second home run of the day over the left field fence with two outs in the bottom of the second inning.

Louisville added another run in the third when Maddy Newman walked and moved to third on Taylor Roby's base hit to set up Butler's RBI single to make the score 2-0.

UNC (14-25, 10-19 ACC) responded with two runs in the home half of the fourth starting with a solo home run by Kristina Burkhardt. Kiersten Licea's two-run single gave the Tar Heels a 3-2 lead.

Trailing 3-2 entering the seventh, the Cards took advantage of three hits and two errors to put up a five-spot and take a 7-3 lead. Servi got the frame started with a hit and and an error on Taryn Weddle's sacrifice bunt put two runners on for Funke who stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-run double to put Louisville back on top 4-3. After stealing third, Funke was safe on a play at the plate on Carmyn Greenwood's fielder's choice. Newman reached an error and Roby walked to load the bases. A wild pitch sent Greenwood home and Butler's RBI hit completed the scoring as the Cardinals took a 7-3 lead.

Jennifer Leonhardt (4-8) entered the circle in the sixth inning and retired all six batters she faced to get the win.

Brittany Pickett (10-8) took the loss, giving up five runs, three earned, on two hits in 1.0 innings of relief.

North Carolina 9 – Louisville 5
The Cardinals rallied from a 5-1 deficit with four runs in the fifth to tie the score, but the Tar Heels answered with four runs over the final two innings to take the first game of Sunday's twin bill.

Servi went 2-for-3 with a run and Carmyn Greenwood went 2-for-4 with a run while Makayla Hurst belted connected on a solo home run to lead the Cardinals at the plate.

The teams played through two and a half scoreless innings before North Carolina took a 3-0 lead. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for K. Pierce's sacrifice fly. A two-out error plated two more Tar Heel runs.

Louisville answered in the fourth with Hurst's eighth home run of the season to put the Cardinals on the board.

UNC got the run back and added another – both unearned - in the home half of the fourth, increasing the lead to 5-1.

The Cardinals countered with a four-spot in the fifth. Servi and Carmyn Greenwood got the got the offense going with back-to back hits and Newman followed with an RBI double. Butler's single plated Greenwood. Rebecca Chung evened the score with a two-out, two run hit to make it a 5-5 game.

The Tar Heels pulled back ahead using two hits including an RBI single in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead and added three insurance runs in the seventh for the 9-5 final.

Taylor Roby (12-13) took the loss, allowing four earned runs on five hits in 2.0 innings of relief. Jennifer Leonhardt surrendered five runs, one earned, on seven hits while fanning eight in 5.0 innings.

Pickett (10-7) picked up the complete game win after giving up five earned runs on eight hits and striking out five.