University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Maryland
Seniors Push Tar Heels To 5-4 Win Over Maryland
May 7, 2011 | Baseball
May 7, 2011
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A day before graduation a pair of Tar Heel seniors left their mark on the program once again as Greg Holt and Ben Bunting drove in runs in back-to-back inning to push No. 12 North Carolina (36-10, 15-8 ACC) to a 5-4 win over Maryland (20-31, 5-21 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels captured the series with the win and will go for the sweep Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Carolina jumped out to a 3-0 lead after six inning before the Terps answered with a three-run home run in the top of the seventh and a single run in the eighth to put the Tar Heels in a tight spot.
A 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the eight put Maryland within three outs of evening the series.
Jacob Stallings started a rally in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out double down the left field line. Jeff Bouton would come on to run for Stallings and following a Matt Roberts ground out senior Greg Holt was able to sneak a ball past Jake Stinnett at third base all the way into the left field corner.
The double allowed Bouton to score from second with ease but the Tar Heels were unable to score the game-tying run in the ninth sending the game into extra innings.
Sophomore Michael Morin retired seven straight batters from the last out of the eighth inning through the 10th inning giving the Tar Heels a boost on the mound. Morin struck out three over the span and allowed just one ball out of the infield.
The first three batters in the bottom of the 10th reached safely for the Tar Heels putting them in terrific position to push across the winning run.
Levi Michael led off with a walk and moved to third when Colin Moran dropped down a sacrifice bunt that relief pitcher Korey Wacker threw into center field putting runners on the corners.
Wacker threw four intentional balls to Jesse Wierzbicki to load the bases and create a force at every base before Bunting's heroics.
unting found himself in a 1-2 hole before hitting a chopper between the first and second basemen that neither was able to handle allowing Michael to score the game-winning run.
The Tar Heels jumped out to a two-run advantage after just three innings as Bunting reached on a bunt single in the second and scored on a double play ball. Colin Moran made it 2-0 with a RBI double into the right field corner scoring Michael who started a two-out rally with a single to left field.
Jacob Stallings extended the lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly after another Moran double in the bottom of the sixth.
Kent Emanuel turned in another impressive start allowing just three hits over his first six innings of work. Emanuel struggled through a 21-pitch first inning before retiring 10 of the next 11 batters.
The Terps put a pair of runners on with nobody out in the top of the seventh with a double and a single bringing Michael Montville to the plate already 2-for-2 on the day. Montville delivered a game-tying home run to left field just out of the reach of left fielder Chaz Frank.
Following a ground out, a single and a sacrifice bunt the Tar Heels would go to the bullpen for Greg Holt. The senior right-hander would strike out Alfredo Rodriguez to close out the seventh.
Holt got into some trouble with one out in the eighth issuing a pair of walks that sandwiched a single to load the bases.
Michael Morin got the call from the pen and forced a foul out to the catcher but a 3-2 pitch went Maryland's way putting the Terps in front 4-3 but a ground out to third would keep the advantage at one run before the Tar Heels' rally in the ninth and 10th.
The three-hit performance was the fifth of the year for Bunting, while Tommy Coyle, Colin Moran and Jacob Stallings all tallied two hits apiece.
Morin improves to 4-2 on the year with the win.
Chris Munnelly will look to give the Tar Heels a sweep on Sunday when he faces Maryland's right-hander Brady Kirkpatrick in a 1 p.m. contest.
