April 23, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Junior Sarah Wood (15-6) tossed her second complete-game shutout and junior Daisy Paez hit the game-winning home run in the eighth inning to lead Georgia Tech to a 1-0 win over No. 20 North Carolina in the resumed game from Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference softball action on Sunday. The Tar Heels (46-13, 13-5 ACC) took game three of the series from the Yellow Jackets (40-16, 11-7 ACC), 4-2, behind another complete game by Crystal Cox and two runs batted in by Joslin Higgins.
Wood scattered five hits, walked one and struck out one in the halted game. Freshman Whitney Haller extended her hitting streak to seven games, going 2-for-5 in the two games. Junior Caitlin Lever went 2-for-5 on the day, with a home run (6) and two RBIs.
Cox (25-6) allowed seven hits, two earned runs and struck out three. Higgins led the Tar Heels at the plate, going 1-for-3, with a home run and two runs batted in.
Sophomore Whitney Humphreys (16-5) dropped her second decision to UNC, working 2.0 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, three earned runs and fanned one.
In the resumed game from Saturday, neither team managed a run in seven innings as the game advanced to extra frames. In the top of the eighth inning, Paez connected on a change-up and sent it over the left field fence for her first homer of the season to give Tech a 1-0 lead.
Wood retired the Tar Heels in order in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the Jackets to a 1-0 win.
Tech scored one run, on four hits and had three errors, while the Tar Heels had five hits and no errors.
In the final game of the series, the Tar Heels kept Tech off the scoreboard in the top of the second inning on a caught stealing at home plate on an attempted double steal and a put out at home plate from the right fielder after a base hit through the right side as the game remained scoreless.
UNC’s Emily Troup singled to right field with two outs in the bottom of the second inning to drive in the game’s first run and Joslin Higgins followed with a two-run home run to center field as Tech trailed 3-0.
Lever connected on her sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the top of the fourth inning to bring the Jackets within one, 3-2.
Tech scored two runs, on seven hits and committed one error, while UNC scored four runs, on seven hits and had one error.
The Yellow Jackets will travel to Statesboro, Ga., for a single game with Georgia Southern on Wednesday, April 26. That game is slated for a 2 p.m. start.
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