University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
No. 17 North Carolina Falls To No. 3 Georgia Tech 13-5
March 27, 2010 | Baseball
March 27, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first inning launched No. 3 Georgia Tech over No. 17 North Carolina 13-5 Saturday night at Boshamer Stadium. A fifth-run seventh inning assisted the Yellow Jackets to their sixth straight victory as they improve to 20-2 overall and 7-1 in ACC play. Colin Bates suffers his first loss of the season as the Tar Heels fall to 16-8 overall and 2-6 in league play.
Bates (3-1) suffers the loss allowing five runs on five hits while walking two and striking out five. R.C. Orlan pitched a career-high three innings in relief, giving up three runs. Nate Striz, Cody Stiles and Zach Bernard also worked in relief combining to allow five runs, only three earned, in 2.1 innings.
"I thought the difference tonight was Georgia Tech was able to move the ball and we didn't," said head coach Mike Fox. "They scored two in the third and five in the seventh all with two outs, and we were deflated after that seventh inning."
Jake Davies (2-0) earns the victory throwing 2.1 shutout innings of relief. Starter Brandon Cumpton allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work. Davies, Luke Bard and Taylor Wood combined to throw 4.2 shutout innings of relief.
Offensively Seth Baldwin and Tommy Coyle paced Carolina with two hits apiece. Eight different Tar Heels hit safely as Carolina pounded out 10 hits. Coyle and Mike Cavasinni each extended their hit streaks to eight and six games, respectively.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to 3-0 as the Tech batters ripped back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first frame. Derek Dietrich and Tony Plagman each ripped their long balls over the right field wall, after Bates retired the first batter on strikes.
Cole Leonida then hammered a home run off the scoreboard in left center to push Georgia Tech in front 3-0. The back-to-back-to-back home runs are the first since May 13, 2000 against Wake Forest for the Yellow Jackets.
The Tar Heels scored one in the first, after a leadoff double off the bat of Ben Bunting led to the junior later scoring on a passed ball. Cumpton escaped the inning getting Seth Baldwin to line out to short. After an inning of play, the Yellow Jackets led 3-1.
Bates appeared to settle in retiring seven in a row after the three Yellow Jacket home runs. Georgia Tech then rallied with two outs in the third to plate two more runs and extend their lead to 5-2. A two-out walk followed by a double from Leonida led to a two RBI single off the bat of Matt Skole.
Tech tacked on another run in the fifth after an RBI sacrifice fly off the bat Leonida. The long foul ball to right field was enough to score Dietrich from third and extend the Yellow Jacket lead to 6-2.
Carolina chipped away at the Georgia Tech in the bottom of the fifth, ending Cumpton's day. Brian Goodwin broke out of a series slump with a RBI double in the gap and Ryan Graepel added a RBI groundout as Carolina trailed 6-4.
Baldwin greeted newly inserted pitcher Davies, scorching a line drive double off the wall to score another Tar Heel run. Davies wriggled out of the jam striking out Cavasinni to preserve the one run lead at 6-5 through five frames.
Georgia Tech increased their lead scoring five runs all with two outs in a wild top of the seventh. Tech scrapped together two runs in the seventh after a balk extended the inning. Striz entered to pitch with runners at the corners with two outs and Leonida hit a high chopper over the head of Dillon Hazlett at first to score Rowland. Goodwin then sailed a throw from right field to the left of the Levi Michael at third base, allowing another Yellow Jacket to score on the error.
Georgia Tech manufactured three more runs after a two-out walk led to Chase Burnette double and Jacob Esch single. Stiles escaped the inning with the strikeout after the frame featured two pitching changes.
Bernard looked strong in 1.1 innings of shutout relief, fanning two and striking out a career-high two.
The two teams will play the series finale tomorrow at noon, one hour ahead of the previously scheduled 1 p.m.
