University of North Carolina Athletics
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Duke
No. 12 Tar Heels Ride Big Inning To 11-2 Win Over Duke
March 26, 2011 | Baseball
March 26, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - In what started out as a southpaw pitcher's duel, Saturday's game ended in an 11-2 final in favor of North Carolina (22-3, 6-2 ACC) over rival Duke (15-10, 2-6 ACC) as UNC claimed the series with the Blue Devils for the first time since 2008. The Tar Heels exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth and extended a 3-2 lead to 11-2 as they won their eighth straight game.
Duke struck first for the second consecutive game as the Blue Devils forced freshman left-hander Kent Emanuel into a 45-pitch second inning. A lead off single followed by a walk and a hit by pith loaded the bases for Duke before Angelo LaBruna singled through the right side for the game's first run.
Emanuel picked up back-to-back strikeouts for the first two outs of the frame but Chris Marconcini placed a ball through the left side of the infield to plate another Blue Devil run. The Tar Heel defense picked up the final out of the inning and was able to keep the deficit to just two.
Duke's freshman left-hander Dillon Haviland was perfect through the opening three innings but senior Ben Bunting broke things up leading off the bottom of the fourth when he hit a ball back up the box for Carolina's first hit.
Following a pop out by Tommy Coyle, Bunting swiped second and moved to third on a deep fly out from Jacob Stallings. Colin Moran was issued a two-out walk to put runners on the corners before Jesse Wierzbicki laced a double into the left field corner scoring both Bunting and Moran and knotting the score up at 2-2.
Emanuel settled down after the shaky second inning and retired 10 consecutive batters to keep the Tar Heels in the contest.
The Tar Heels picked up singles from Chaz Frank and Jeff Bouton in the fifth inning, as the pair advanced to second and third but were unable to break the dead-lock.
Chase Bebout, Duke's traditional Friday night starter, made his first appearance in two weeks after suffering an injury against NC State on March 12. Bebout picked up the first out of the sixth but was unable to get Colin Moran when the freshman third sacker launched a pitch over the right field fence for his fourth home run of the year giving Carolina a 3-2 advantage.
Greg Holt came on for the seventh inning and picked up where Emanuel left off as the senior right-hander set down the Blue Devils in order.
The eighth inning looked like it would be more of the same, Holt picked up a strikeout and a ground out to first for the first two outs but Jeff Kremer lined a pitch off of Holt's right leg for an infield single.
Anthony D'Alessandro worked a full count and would eventually walk as the Blue Devils looked to be mounting a two-out rally. Holt was able to get Tar Heel killer Will Piwnica-Worms to fly out to right field ending the inning.
Then the Tar Heel bats came to life in the bottom of the eighth.
unting led off with his second hit of the afternoon and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tommy Coyle that was misplayed by Duke's Jordan Betts at third base. Jacob Stallings hit a fly ball to the warning track in left to move Bunting and Coyle up 90 feet before Moran was issued an intentional walk.
Wierzbicki drove in the inning's first two runs when he blooped a ball down the right field line between the first baseman, second baseman and right fielder allowing Bunting and Coyle to score.
Three straight doubles from Brian Holberton, Levi Michael and Chaz Frank quickly made the score 10-2 in favor of the Tar Heels.
Following the second out of the inning, Bunting lifted a pop fly into shallow left center but Duke's Angelo LaBruna was unable to haul in the catch extending the inning and giving Tommy Coyle another shot at extending his career-best hitting streak.
Coyle did just that as he lifted a ball into left field for a RBI single extending his hitting streak to 14 games and making the score 11-2.
Holt struck out the side in the ninth for his second save of the year and set a new career high in the process as he rang up six batters Saturday afternoon.
Emanuel struck out six batters of his own on the day as the freshman left-hander improved to 4-1 in his initial campaign.
unting and Moran each scored a season-high three runs in the win, while Wierzbicki set a career high with four RBI.
The win locked up a point for Carolina the Battle of the Blues competition, sponsored by Continental Tire, and the Tar Heels now lead 10-8 over the Blue Devils.
With the win head coach Mike Fox won his 1,100th career game becoming the 27th coach in NCAA Division I history with 1,100 wins.
Sophomore right-hander Cody Stiles will take the hill for Carolina on Sunday as the Blue Devils will counter with Marcus Stroman. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
