Feb. 14, 2009

Box Score

Chapel Hill, N.C. - No. 9 Cal suffered its first loss of the season to No. 23 North Carolina by a score of 4-3 in the second day of the Carolina Classic on Saturday afternoon. Cal held a 2-0 lead after the first inning, but UNC rallied for four runs in the second and held on the rest of the way.

Shannon Thomas collected two hits on three plate appearances with a run, while Gina Leomiti had two RBI. Sanoe Kekahuna launched her second home run of the season - a solo shot in the sixth inning.

Marissa Drewrey suffered her first loss of the season in the circle, allowing four runs (all earned) on seven hits with eight strikeouts.

The Bears outhit the Tar Heels, but committed two errors and left nine runners stranded on base.

Cal claimed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Leomiti drilled a single up the middle of the infield to plate both Jamia Reid and Thomas who produced back-to-back one-out singles. Cal had other chances to score more runs in the inning with runners on second and third with two outs, but North Carolina induced a pop up to end the inning and silence the scoring threat.

UNC rallied in the bottom of the second inning after pinch hitter Stephanie Murad on a 2-1 count with two outs, drove Drewrey's pitch over the right field fence for a grand slam of her career, giving UNC a 4-2 lead.

The score remained 4-2 until the top of the sixth inning when Kekahuna drove Constance Orr's pitch deep over the center field wall to trim the deficit to 4-3. Cal almost tied the game later in the stanza after a pair of singles by Taylor Kelly and Valerie Arioto put runners on first and second with two down. Pinch hitter Bernice Masaniai then drove an Orr delivery to left field with pinch runner Nikki Schrey rounding third base, but Kelli Wheeler's throw from left field was on target at the plate a as Brittany McKinney blocked the plate to tag out Schrey for the final out of the inning.