University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Gardner-Webb
No. 12 North Carolina Edges Gardner-Webb 6-5
March 4, 2010 | Baseball
March 4, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Senior Ryan Graepel ripped a bases loaded RBI walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to propel No. 12 North Carolina over Gardner-Webb 6-5 Thursday at Boshamer Stadium. Nine different Tar Heels hit safely in the game as the Tar Heels pounded out 12 hits. North Carolina improves to 7-1 overall, as Gardner-Webb falls to 2-7 on the year.
Michael Morin (2-0) earned the victory hurling 1.2 innings and only allowing one hit while striking out two. Garrett Davis allowed four runs on four hits and was relieved by Chris Munnelly and Greg Holt, who combined to allow only one run in 4.2 innings of work.
Brock Wilson (1-1) suffers the loss for the Runnin' Bulldogs. Wilson only allowed one run, the game winner, on four hits in four innings of relief work. Starter Connor Scarborough allowed five runs on eight hits.
Offensively Ben Bunting's 2-for-5 performance with two runs scored led Carolina. Bunting has at least two hits in his last six games, good for a six game hit streak. Tommy Coyle (2-for-5) and Dillon Hazlett (2-for-5) each added strong showings. Hazlett extended his hit streak to seven games, while posting at least one RBI in his last six games.
Senior Mike Cavasinni extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games with an infield single. Junior Jesse Wierzbicki belted his second home run as a Tar Heel, a solo shot in the second inning. Freshman Brian Goodwin ripped his third triple of the season and was also intentionally walked three times. Graepel also matched a career-best with three RBI Thursday.
The Runnin' Bulldogs got to Tar Heel starter Garrett Davis early scoring four runs in the first three innings. Davis labored in his second start of the season, but Munnelly shined in relief.
A triple off the bat of Goodwin in the second inning led to a sacrifice fly from Graepel to score the Tar Heels' first run. Wierzbicki smashed a solo home run moments later to tie the score at two.
A RBI single from Hazlett scored Bunting in the bottom of the third as the Heels trailed 4-3 until the fifth inning. Munnelly blanked the Runnin' Bulldogs for three innings and was in line for the win after the bottom of the fifth.
A RBI single off the bat of Levi Michael again scored Bunting. An intentional walk issued to Goodwin followed by a bases loaded sacrifice bunt off the bat of Graepel gave the Tar Heels their first lead at 5-4 after five innings.
The Runnin' Bulldogs responded with an RBI double off the bat of Josh Drewery to score Kurt Fulginiti and tie the score at five in the seventh. Drewery had an unbelievable day at the plate going 3-for-4 with four RBI.
Carolina came to life in the ninth to earn the victory. A Coyle single followed by walk issued to Michael gave the Heels two base runners with zero outs. A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Hazlett moved the runners in scoring position. The third intentional walk of the day issued to Goodwin loaded the bases. Graepel then battled with two strikes and ripped a chopper over the third baseman's head into left field to score Coyle and earn the walk-off victory.
North Carolina will host Michigan this weekend for a three-game set beginning Friday at 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
