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Errors Cost Tar Heels In 8-7 Setback At NC State
April 16, 2011 | Baseball
April 16, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. - No. 5 North Carolina committed three errors for the first time in over a month as NC State claimed an 8-7 win over the Tar Heels Saturday night at Dail Park. The three Carolina errors resulted in five unearned runs as the Tar Heels dropped their second straight contest.
Carolina struck first for the second straight night when Levi Michael and Colin Moran combined to go for back-to-back home runs with one out in the top of the first providing starter Kent Emanuel a cushion.
Emanuel retired the first two batters he faced but found trouble when Pratt Maynard doubled down the right field line and Andrew Ciencin followed with a double of his own to make it 2-1 after one inning.
Chaz Frank opened the top half of the second with a bunt single back the pitcher and moved to second on a throwing error but he would be stranded at second base as the next three Tar Heels were retired.
Cameron Conner opened the bottom of the second with the Wolfpack's third double of the night over the bag at third and off the wall along the third base line. A pop out would put the first out on the board but back-to-back singles from the eight and nine hitters evened things up at 2-2.
In similar fashion to a week ago, Shane Taylor came on in the bottom of the second and needed just one pitch to coerce an inning-ending double play ball.
Carolina answered with the go-ahead run in the top of the third. Levi Michael led off with a walk to open the inning and moved to second on a Jesse Wierzbicki single up the middle. A Tommy Coyle fly out to right moved Michael to third before Wierzbicki was going on first movement and was picked off at first but made a heads up play and was in a run down long enough for Michael to score from third and make it 3-2.
Taylor tallied six consecutive outs from the second inning until the fourth when his defense was unable to help him out.
A hit by pitch with one out in the inning put the first runner on but Taylor forced a ground out to Levi Michael at short for out number two. Following a walk Chris Diaz forced second baseman Tommy Coyle to range far to his left. Coyle was able to reach the ball but his throw sailed past Wierzbicki at first allowing the tying run to score.
A ball in the hole at short went off Levi Michael's glove and into left field for a second straight error as two more Wolfpack runs scored making the tally 5-3.
Michael opened the top of the fifth with a double in the left center gap but was nearly doubled off when Colin Moran lined a ball that second baseman Matt Bergquist made a tremendous diving catch to rob Moran of an RBI single.
Wierzbicki came through with his second hit of the day a single to left field that plated Michael and cut the deficit to 5-4.
Taylor would settled down after the shaky fourth facing just one over the minimum in the fifth and recording a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth.
The Tar Heels would pull even at 5-5 in the top of the sixth when Chaz Frank opened with a bunt that was misplayed at third allowing him to reach second base. A ground out moved Frank to third before Ben Bunting delivered a double into left center field to knot things up at 5-5.
Another Tar Heel error opened the bottom of the seventh putting a runner at second with nobody out a double would put two in scoring position as R.C. Orlan came on in relief of Taylor.
A wild pitch put the Wolfpack in front before Orlan struck out Pratt Maynard as he made way for Greg Holt. A ground out to short would put two outs on the board but NC State struck again with a single through the left side making the score 7-5.
The Tar Heels would fall victim to another tremendous defensive play in the eighth when with runners at first and second and nobody out Ben Bunting ripped a shot that appeared to be destined for right field but first baseman Harold Riggins snagged the ball out of the air and fired to second to double up the Tar Heels and end the threat.
NC State would add an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run with two outs in the inning.
Carolina would mount a come back in the top of the ninth loading the bases on three straight walks. Tommy Coyle grounded out to drive in a run cutting the NC State lead to 8-6, before Jacob Stallings drew another walk to reload the bases.
Chaz Frank grounded out for the second out of the inning as another run scored. Brian Holberton stepped in with the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second but the freshman grounded out to first to end the threat and give NC State its second straight one-run win over the Tar Heels.
The loss marks the first time this season that Carolina has scored at least five runs and lost as the Tar Heels entered 26-0 on the year when scoring at least five runs.
Shane Taylor threw 4.2 innings of stellar relief but suffered the hard-luck loss due to allowing five runs, none of which were earned.
Levi Michael equaled a career high with four runs scored on the night as he moved into a tie for 10th place on the all-time UNC walks list with 103 in three seasons.
Carolina will send right-hander Chris Munnelly to the mound on Sunday, while NC State will counter with right-hander Rob Chamra.
