University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
Tar Heels, Bates Edge Hokies 5-3
May 21, 2010 | Baseball
May 21, 2010
Note: A complete photo gallery will be posted on Sunday.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- Colin Bates tossed six shutout innings of relief as North Carolina rallied past No. 12 Virginia Tech 5-3 Friday night at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina scored all five of their runs in the final three innings to improve to 35-20 overall and 13-16 in the ACC.
Bates (6-2) dazzled in six shutout innings of relief, allowing just three hits and tying a career-high with seven strikeouts. Starter Chris Munnelly lasted just three innings after allowing three runs on four hits. Neither Carolina hurler issued a walk.
Levi Michael, Brian Goodwin, Tommy Coyle and Jacob Stallings all registered two hits and a RBI to pace the Carolina attack, which plated four of its five runs with two outs. Senior Ryan Graepel added a hit and RBI as the Tar Heels won their ninth straight game at home.
Sean McDermott took the loss for the Hokies, who fell to 36-18 overall and 16-13 in the league. McDermott (1-1) allowed four hits and two runs in only 0.2 innings of relief. Starter Matthew Price was effective in six innings of work, surrendering just one earned run, but was saddled with a no-decision.
Virginia Tech claimed their first lead of the series scoring three runs on four hits in the third. A Steve Domecus RBI double and Austin Wates RBI sacrifice fly highlighted the inning for the Hokies.
Bates entered to pitch in the fourth and silenced the Hokies' bats in consecutive frames. Carolina struggled to get on the board, stranding seven base runners through the first five frames.
Carolina finally scratched out a run in the bottom of the sixth on two hits and one Hokie error. Stallings ripped a two-out RBI single to score Ben Bunting as UNC trailed 3-1 after six frames.
The Tar Heels took their first lead of the game in the seventh inning after consecutive two-out RBI singles off the bats of Seth Baldwin and Coyle. After Wates robbed Dillon Hazlett of a home run attempt in right field, Goodwin and Graepel each notched back-to-back one-out singles to cut the Hokie lead to 3-2.
McDermott then retired Bunting for the second out, but Baldwin and Coyle answered with clutch RBI hits to push the Tar Heels ahead 4-3 after seven frames.
Bates continued to baffle the Hokie hitters through the middle innings, retiring 12 of the 13 batters he faced between the fifth and the eighth innings, including ten in a row at one point. Goodwin provided an insurance run for UNC in the eighth, plating Michael on a RBI double to push Carolina in front 5-3.
Carolina sent Bates back to the mound in the ninth inning. A single and double put Hokies on second and third with two outs, but Bates punched out pinch-hitter Matt Blow to end the game.
The Tar Heels will now earn a bid to the ACC Tournament with a win tomorrow coupled with a Boston College loss.
Carolina and Virginia Tech will conclude their three-game set tomorrow at 2 p.m. from Boshamer Stadium.
