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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (theACC.com) – North Carolina punched their ticket to the 2019 ACC Softball Championship final with a 6-1 win over NC State on Friday.
 
In the top of the first, the No. 8 seed Wolfpack (31-27) had Sam Russ in scoring position after her leadoff triple but couldn’t send her home.
 
The No. 4 seed Tar Heels (35-17) got on the board first, after Kiani Ramsey knocked in Leah Murray with a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the first.
 
North Carolina’s Brittany Pickett walked Brigette Nordberg, and Jessica Moore’s double to right field sent Nordberg home for NC State to tie the score at 1-1 in the top of the second.
 
After two innings of scoreless action, Zoey Goodman’s three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth plated Shayla Thompson and Berlynne Delamora for the Tar Heels. Murray added an RBI single up the middle, and Kristina Burkhardt’s sacrifice fly to left field capped a five-run inning for North Carolina and gave the Tar Heels a 6-1 lead.
 
Russ singled to right field to start the top of the sixth, but Pickett retired the next three batters to end the inning.
 
Murray and Ramsey singled in the bottom of the sixth for North Carolina, but the Tar Heels left them stranded on the bases to end the inning.
 
Pickett was credited with the win after pitching a complete game and allowing one earned run in seven innings while striking out 13.
 
North Carolina advances to Saturday’s noon ACC Softball Championship Game and will await the winner of tonight’s semifinal between No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 2 Florida State.