Two weeks ago, the Terrapin softball team went a stretch of 109 at-bats without striking out.
In their first conference action of the season, it seemed like that was all they could do.
One day after she struck out Terps 14 times, North Carolina’s defending ACC Player of the Year Danielle Spaulding notched another 15 Sunday in the Tar Heels’ 2-1 win at Robert E. Taylor Stadium.
It was a day of meager offense, but things hadn’t gone much better in the Terps’ doubleheader the day before. No. 18 North Carolina (26-7, 4-2 ACC) blanked them 7-0 in the opening game, then triumphed once more in a 10-2 victory shortly thereafter.
Even the Terps’ biggest bats struggled. Right fielder Michelle Takeda entered the weekend third in the conference in home runs and sixth in slugging percentage. This weekend, she walked twice on Saturday and struck out in her three at-bats on Sunday.
“I think it’s a whole ‘nother ball game,” Takeda, a freshman, said of her debut in conference play. “You don’t know what to expect; you’ve never been here before.”
Her last strikeout Sunday was arguably the most crucial.
In the sixth inning, with the Terps staring down a surmountable two-run deficit, they began to fight back against Spaulding. Left fielder Kathy McLaughlin led off the rally, reaching second base after a throwing error. First baseman Nadine Blackie then sliced a ball into shallow right field that moved McLaughlin to third.
When second baseman Breanna Shaw drove a two-strike fastball past second base, scoring McLaughlin, the Terps scored only their third run of the three-game series and cut the margin to one. When Shaw stole second, the winning run was in scoring position.
But after digging herself a hole, Spaulding managed to escape without problem. Designated player Kerry Hickey struck out, as did Takeda moments later. When Devon Williams fouled out behind home plate, the best chance to take down the ACC’s reigning regular-season champions was gone.
“We just got to get everything going at once,” coach Laura Watten said. “We need to have better at bats, and we need to be executing.”
Though one Terp newcomer showed no signs of growing pains – freshman Kendra Knight pitched four innings for no earned runs in Sunday’s game – there were plenty elsewhere. Including Takeda, first- and second-year underclassmen in the program accounted for 10 of the Tar Heels’ total 17 strikeouts in Sunday’s game.
“Eventually, we’re going to just have to keep growing,” Watten said. “We have to get older.”
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