University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wake Forest
No. 5 Carolina Evens Series With Wake Forest, 7-3
March 31, 2012 | Baseball
March 31, 2012
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 5 North Carolina used a five-run first inning en route to a 7-3 win Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium against Wake Forest (19-10, 4-6 ACC). Jacob Stallings set a career high with three doubles and Michael Russell drove in three runs to pace the offense. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
After being held to just one run through seven innings Friday night the Tar Heel bats came out swinging Saturday as they were able to push across five runs in the first inning.
Tommy Coyle got the rally going with a single up the middle and used his speed to swipe his seventh base of the year before coming around to score when Stallings laced a double inside the bag at third.
Junior Cody Stubbs made it a 2-0 game when he turned on a Justin Van Grouw offering and sent his team-leading 14th double into the right field corner.
Tom Zengel continued a solid series at the plate with a single to left field to put runners on the corners and moved up to second base when Mike Zolk was hit to load the bases.
With the bases full of Tar Heels Michael Russell chopped a ball into the ground that hopped over the Wake Forest third baseman and down the line in left field for a two-run double.
Parks Jordan quickly made it 5-0 in favor of Carolina when he dropped a bunt down the first base line to score Zolk from third and bump the UNC lead to 5-0.
Carolina tacked on an run in the third when Stubbs opened the frame with a lead off walk and stole second before eventually scoring on a RBI single from Russell.
Starter Chris Munnelly worked a perfect first inning before allowing a pair of hits in the second and one in the third but was able to escape unscathed.
The Demon Deacons were able to break through in the fourth when Brett Armour singled home a run signaling the end of the day for Munnelly as Hobbs Johnson came on in relief.
Johnson went 2.1 innings allowing a pair of unearned runs after encountering trouble in the fifth.
With two outs in the inning, Mac Williamson reached on a Tar Heel error but Johnson had him picked off of first base but the throw to second by Stubbs sailed wide of Zolk at second allowing Williamson get to third. A Charlie Morgan single drove in Williamson as the Demon Deacons continued to chip away at the Tar Heel lead.
Wake Forest added another run in the sixth when a pickoff attempt was dropped by the third baseman when the Demon Deacons had runners at first and third and two outs in the inning.
The Tar Heels answered with a run of their own in the sixth without recording a hit. Russell opened the frame by walking and moved to second on a bunt attempt from Parks Jordan.
A wild pitch moved Russell to third base and the freshman outfielder was able to score when Shell McCain grounded out to the shortstop to make the score 7-3.
The Tar Heel bullpen kept it a 7-3 game as Mason McCullough, Tate Parrish and Shane Taylor combined for a scoreless seventh helping to strand a pair of runners.
Taylor picked up the first out of the eighth before making way for R.C. Orlan. The junior southpaw retired the final two batters of the eighth and threw a scoreless ninth to help Carolina even the series at 1-1.
Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m. as the Tar Heels will be looking for their fourth straight series victory to open ACC play for the first time since 1990.
Freshman right-hander Benton Moss will toe the rubber for the Tar Heels and Wake Forest will counter with junior left-hander Brian Holmes.
