University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Maryland
No. 12 Tar Heels Complete Sweep With 8-4 Win
May 8, 2011 | Baseball
May 8, 2011
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Colin Moran capped off another impressive weekend with a 4-for-5, two run and two RBI performance as he helped No. 12 North Carolina (37-10, 16-8 ACC) to an 8-4 series-sweeping win over Maryland (20-32, 5-22 ACC) Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
Moran finished the day a triple short of the cycle and nearly completed the cycle in the bottom of the sixth inning when he laced a ball into the right field corner but was cut down at third base attempting to leg out a triple.
The four hits set a career high for the Rye, N.Y., native and his solo home run in the bottom of the eighth gave him 60 RBI for the season putting him in rare company. Moran became just the fourth freshman in UNC history to drive in 60 runs in a season joining Tim Federowicz (62, 2006), Brian Goodwin (63, 2010) and Dustin Ackley (74, 2007).
Jesse Wierzbicki also drove in a pair of runs for the Tar Heels, while Tommy Coyle tallied two more hits bumping his total to 61 for the year.
Chris Munnelly notched the win going 5.1 innings allowing four runs on six hits and struck out seven batters.
When Munnelly departed in the top of the sixth inning the Tar Heels turned to their deep bullpen as R.C. Orlan and Andrew Smith each picked up strikeouts to end the sixth inning.
The Tar Heels put Munnelly in line for the win as they erupted for four runs in the bottom half of the fifth, including three unearned runs thanks to a Terrapin miscue.
Smith came back out for the seventh inning and retired the Terrapins in order and worked a third of an inning in the eighth before Carolina used its bullpen once again.
Tate Parrish faced just one batter coercing a ground out to third, that Colin Moran bare-handed and threw out Tim Kiene all in one motion. Shane Taylor came on to throw just three pitches to record the final out of the eighth.
The Tar Heels tacked on a pair of runs in the eighth when Moran led off with a solo home run to deep center field and Jesse Wierzbicki reached on a throwing error and eventually scored a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jacob Stallings.
The Terrapins would notch a pair of singles off of Taylor in the ninth before closer Michael Morin strolled in and recorded the final three outs for his fourth save of the year.
The Tar Heels have won six straight games for the fourth time this season and with the weekend sweep of Maryland have now swept four ACC series for the first time since 2006.
Carolina will face a pair of midweek tilts this week as the Tar Heels travel to UNC Wilmington on Tuesday before returning home to host UNC Asheville on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
