University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
East Carolina
ECU Edges Baseball 8-6
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 28, 1999
By: Travis Everette, Carolina Baseball
Greenville, North Carolina--
It seems like every time Carolina plays baseball on a field with a short outfield they wind up losing the game to key homeruns. That's exactly what happened Tuesday evening in front of almost 3,000 purple and gold clad fans at Harrington Field as the Tar Heels (37-10) fell to the Pirates (36-10) of East Carolina University 8-6. The game had been played up all week by the Greenville media and those on the campus, and all the hype worked. People showed up in numbers so large that many hundreds of them could not be seated and stood along the five foot high chain link fence in the outfield.You shouldn't think that the Heels didn't hit their share of the long balls, however. Carolina was out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the fourth largely due to second and fourth inning homeruns smashed out of the park by catcher Dan Moylan. The Pirates would not go away however as they took advantage of a walk by UNC starter Chris Elmore and the first ECU hit of the game to put two across the plate. Then in the top of the fifth Carolina second baseman Chris LaMarsh tatooed Cory Scott's first pitch of the inning over the right field wall.
East Carolina would go on to manufacture run in the bottom of the fifth to stay within two of the Heels, and after that it was all ECU. Carolina releiver Michael Horney would allow five runs in the next two innings including a pair of homers in the seventh that put the game away for East Carolina. Horney was able to settle into his groove and give the Tar Heels a chance down the stretch, but the bats simply did not respond. The only further offense Carolina was able to muster was a two out solo homerun by left fielder Tyrell Godwin in the ninth inning to tally the final 8-6 margin.
Carolina returns to action on Wednesday evening at Boshamer Stadium when they take on the Seahawks of UNC-Wilmington at 7:00. The Heels will also host ECU in the last game of the home and home series with the Pirates on Thursday night in "The Bosh."
