University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Miami
Tar Heels Drop Game 2 to Miami, 5-3
April 23, 2011 | Baseball
April 23, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Despite six strong innings of relief from Greg Holt, No. 10 North Carolina fell 5-3 to No. 20 Miami in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader at Boshamer Stadium. After dropping a 13-6 ten-inning decision in game one, Carolina falls to 31-10 and 12-7 in the ACC while the Hurricanes improve to 27-12 and 15-4 in conference play.
Shane Taylor started on the mound for the first time in his career for Carolina and suffered the defeat after hurling three innings and allowing three runs on six hits. Taylor is now 2-3 in his freshman campaign. Holt replaced Taylor in the fourth and worked six innings, giving up six hits and two runs.
Tommy Coyle, Levi Michael and Jacob Stallings all registered two hits to lead the Tar Heel offense. Stallings, Jesse Wierzbicki and Holt knocked in runs for the Tar Heels, who plated single runs in the second, third and eighth innings.
Eric Whaley started for the Hurricanes and earned the victory, improving to 6-2 after throwing six innings and surrendering two runs. The Miami bullpen was strong in relief, allowing only one run in three innings, which was capped off by Sam Robinson's 1.2 hitless innings of work to earn his fourth save.
Miami took an early 2-0 lead by tallying runs in each of the first two innings. Rony Rodriguez opened the scoring in the first by sending a 3-1 offering from Taylor over the left field fence for a solo home run, his seventh of the season. In the second inning, Michael Broad laced a one-out triple then scored on a RBI single by Dale Carey to plate the Hurricanes' second run.
Carolina came back to tie the game by scratching in both the second and third innings. In the second, Chaz Frank worked a two-out walk and scampered home from first when Stallings ripped his tenth double of the season off of the left-field wall. Seth Baldwin led off the third inning with a single and moved to second on Michael's two out hit. After a walk to Moran loaded the bases, Wierzbicki also worked a base on balls to send Baldwin home with the second run.
Miami responded right away in the top of the fourth, loading the bases against Taylor with two singles and a walk. The Tar Heels summoned Holt to the mound, who recorded a strike out before inducing a fielder's choice by Shane Rowland that plated the third Miami run. Holt escaped further damage, but Miami led 3-2 after three and a half innings of play.
The Hurricanes loaded the bases with none out again in the fifth, but Holt meandered out of trouble again by inducing a 5-2-3 double play and striking out Broad to end the threat. Miami got back on the board with two runs in the sixth. With two outs and the bases clear, a walk and back-to-back singles pushed across a pair of runs and give the Hurricanes a 5-2 edge.
Meanwhile, Whaley settled in comfortably, working through the middle innings and allowing only three baserunners. Carolina threatened in the fifth after consecutive one-out singles by Coyle and Michael put runners on the corners, but Whaley worked out of the jam with a strike out and a fly out.
In the seventh, Whaley gave way to A.J. Salcines, who gave up a single to Coyle and walked Moran to put two Tar Heels on base. But Miami turned to Javi Salas, who induced Wierzbicki to ground into a force out and end the inning. Holt found a groove on the mound in the late innings to keep Carolina within striking distance. The senior faced only 10 hitters in the final three innings and allowed just one hit.
The Tar Heels pushed across their third run of the night in the eighth. Stallings lashed a double into the left-center gap, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored when Holt grounded to shortstop. The Tar Heels got the tying run to the plate in the ninth after Michael was hit by a pitch, but Robinson struck out Moran to end the threat.
Carolina and Miami will complete the three-game set Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Probable starters are UNC's Kent Emanuel (5-1) and Miami's E.J. Encinosa (3-2).
