University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Fresno State
Heels Take 8-5 Win Over Fresno St.
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 14, 1999
If Tar Heel pitcher Kyle Snyder had one of his less dominating appearances earlier this week in the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic, he made up for it Saturday night against host team Fresno State. Snyder did not give up a single earned run and struck out 11 Bulldog batters to get his sixth win of the year as North Carolina defeated Fresno State 8-5 in the championship game of the tournament. UNC moved to 17-1 on the season finished 5-1 in the tournament.
FSU simply did not have an answer for Snyder's fastballs which consistently lit the radar display on the left field scoreboard up to 93 and 94 miles per hour. The Bulldogs would get no relief as Snyder went eight full innings and Derrick DePriest came on in the ninth for the Heels to pick up his third save of the year. Snyder also picked up the Most Valuable Player Award in the tournament for his 14.1 total innings pitched and 1.91 ERA in two starting appearances.
Early sloppy defensive play by the Heels allowed Fresno State to pick up 5 unearned runs, but Carolina would recover to play solidly and rally to the win. Once again, the Tar Heels had to overcome a huge Bulldog home advantage that included the 3,516 in attendance.
Clay Hooper, Jarrett Shearin, Chris LaMarsh, Tyrell Godwin, and Matt McCay all had two hits to lead the Tar Heel offensive attack. Shearin even managed to steal home in the top of the ninth inning, capping off the scoring.
Other Heels who made the all-tournament team include Ryan Earey in the infield, McCay in the outfield, and LaMarsh as the utility player.
On a much more sobering note, the 4:00 game for third place between Gonzaga and Seton Hall was canceled after three Gonzaga players and the team trainer were hit by a truck on the way to the game. The group had just finished watching the Gonzaga basketball team defeat Stanford in the NCAA tournament, and they were making the short walk from their hotel to the ballpark. The pickup truck ran up onto the sidewalk and into the foursome violently. Two of the players were treated and released from the hospital with only minor injuries. The trainer had a broken leg and considerable internal bruising. The remaining Bulldog player was awaiting a CAT scan to check for cranial swelling at last report.
