University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Tar Heels Down Demon Deacons 7-2
May 8, 2010 | Baseball
May 8, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- Colin Bates pitched 2.1 shutout innings to lead No. 24 North Carolina over Wake Forest 7-2 Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina won its season-high sixth straight game to improve to 30-17 overall and 10-13 in league play. The Demon Deacons, who has posted eight errors in the series, fall to 12-34 on the year and 4-19 in ACC play.
Bates (5-2) allowed just two hits to earn the win. Munnelly pitched a career-high 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits with a career-best eight punch-outs. The freshman did not factor into the decision in his fifth career start.
Jacob Stallings and Brian Goodwin led the Carolina attack each with two RBI. Goodwin hit his team-leading sixth triple and is now just two shy of the single season school record eight. Levi Michael extended his hit streak to a career-best 14 games with his fifth home run of the season. Tommy Coyle and Ryan Graepel each added two hits.
Wake Forest starter Stadler was strong in six innings with a career-best 11 strikeouts. The sophomore allowed just two runs on two hits, but was plagued by three Wake Forest errors. Justin Van Grouw (1-4) suffers the loss allowing the go-ahead runs.
Munnelly was sharp early striking out the side in the opening frame. The freshman matched his career-high with five strikeouts through two innings.
Carolina manufactured one run on three straight Demon Deacon errors in the bottom of the second. Graepel scored the Tar Heels first run to push Carolina in front 1-0 after two.
Both squads traded runs courtesy of solo blasts in the third inning as the Tar Heels led 2-1 after three. Wake Forest knotted the score at one after a solo home run of the bat of Pat Blair. Michael belted a mammoth shot over the left field fence to give Carolina the narrow lead.
Wake Forest quickly tied the score at two as Steven Brooks led off the fourth frame with a towering home run over the left field fence. Munnelly wriggled out of the inning after an unorthodox batter's interference and strikeout double play.
Stadler disrupted the Tar Heels timing striking out the side in the bottom of the sixth. The sophomore fanned four in a row at one point.
Munnelly escaped another threat in the top of the seventh after allowing a leadoff double. The freshman benefited from a Demon Deacon base running blunder and Stallings caught a runner attempting to steal second.
After a two-out walk, Bates entered to pitch with one runner on at first base. The junior quickly ended the inning with a pop out.
The Tar Heels vaulted into the lead in the bottom of the seventh to push in front 6-2. A RBI double off the bat of Stallings, two-RBI triple off the bat of Goodwin and big Wake Forest error manufactured the runs for Carolina.
Carolina tacked on one more run in the eighth after a Coyle triple led to a RBI suicide squeeze off the bat of Stallings. The Tar Heels carried a five-run lead into the ninth and Bates sealed the win in the final frame.
The series finale will be played tomorrow at 1 p.m. from Boshamer Stadium.
