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April 14, 2002

Box Score | Box Score 2

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team lost a pair of one-run games to Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina Sunday (April 14) at The Park. The Tar Heels won the first game 1-0 and picked up the sweep with a 6-5 eight-inning win in the nightcap. With the two losses, UVa falls to 38-17 overall and 0-4 in the ACC. North Carolina improves to 29-21 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

In the first game, North Carolina’s Ashley Allen (11-6) fired a five-hit shutout in the Tar Heels’ 1-0 victory. Allen struck out one and walked three in outdueling UVa fourth-year All-American Kristen Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon). Dennis, who fell to 20-7 with the loss, allowed one run on seven hits while striking out 10 and walking one.

The Tar Heels scored the only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs, Tiffany Tolleson reached on a bunt single, then stole second base. She scored on Rosie Gustavson’s single to left field. Virginia third-year left fielder Johanna Kaiser (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) had two hits in the game, as did UNC’s Tolleson and Allen.

In the second game, North Carolina scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Cavaliers rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to knot the contest at 5-5. The Tar Heels broke the tie with a run in the top of the eighth for a 6-5 eight-inning victory.

Trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, UVa rallied with three runs to tie the game at 5-5. With one out, fifth-year center fielder Kelly McCabe (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) tripled to left center. Third-year third baseman Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) pulled the Cavaliers’ within a run with a two-run homer to right center. After an intentional walk to Dennis, second-year catcher Stephanie Calhoun (Spring Valley, Calif./Mount Miguel) struck out. With two outs, second-year first baseman Hannah Owings (Issaquah, Wash./Liberty) came through in the clutch and delivered a double to right center that scored Dennis to tie the game.

The Tar Heels scored the game-winning run in the top of the eighth. Kelly Ramsey singled to lead off the inning. Lauren Parker, who was pinch running for Ramsey, then advanced all the way to third on Shannon Walsh’s bunt single. Parker scored the game-winning run on Dionne Streete’s sacrifice fly to center field.

UVa took a 1-0 lead in the game on Dennis’ solo home run in the bottom of the second. UNC answered with three runs in the third. Natalie Anter delivered the first run with a single and Jessica Young added a two-run double. The Cavaliers’ closed to within one run, 3-2, in the sixth on third-year second baseman Jill Bumler’s (Montclair, Va./Bishop O’Connell) single down the right field line. North Carolina pushed its lead to 5-2 with two unearned runs in the top of the seventh when Quinn Porter’s deep fly ball to right field was misplayed, allowing Gustavson and Dionne Streete to cross the plate.

Walsh (12-10) earned the win in the circle for UNC. She gave up five runs on 10 hits and struck out nine while walking four. Dennis took the loss in the second game as well, dropping her record to 20-8 on the year. In 5.2 innings of relief work, Dennis allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits. She struck out five and walked one. Fourth-year Erin Allinder (Norco, Calif./Norco) pitched the first 2.1 innings and allowed three runs on five hits. McCabe was four-for-four for UVa, while Rojas had two hits. Gustavson and Streete both had two hits for North Carolina.

UVa returns to action Tuesday (April 16) when it travels to Baltimore, Md. for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at UMBC.

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