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No. 3 UNC Falls In 14 Innings At No. 9 Miami, 4-3
April 8, 2012 | Baseball
April 8, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - In an epic back-and-forth affair that saw junior right-hander Michael Morin go a career-long seven innings out of the bullpen No. 9 Miami (23-8, 10-4 ACC) used a solo home run in the 14th inning to claim a 4-3 win over No. 3 UNC Saturday night in Coral Gables, Fla. The win snaps Carolina's 7-0 start in weekend series to start the year and drops the Tar Heels to 23-8 on the year and 9-5 in ACC play.
After being shutout Friday night the Tar Heels ran out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning when Chaz Frank led things off with a double and scored on a Tommy Coyle RBI single. Mike Zolk made it 2-0 for starter Chris Munnelly with a sacrifice fly to score Coyle.
Munnelly would go five plus innings for the Tar Heels as he allowed an unearned run on three hits, while striking out five.
The lone run Munnelly allowed came in the sixth when he walked the lead off man before making way for R.C. Orlan. The first batter Orlan faced, Chantz Mack, dropped down a sacrifice bunt to third base that Shell McCain fielded and fired to first but Cody Stubbs was unable to hang on to the throw putting runners a the corners.
Esteban Tresgallo pulled Miami within one thanks to a sacrifice fly to left field before right-hander Chris McCue came on to pick up the final two outs of the sixth.
Miami took advantage of another Tar Heel miscue on a bunt attempt in the seventh and loaded the bases against McCue.
Michael Morin came on in the bases loaded jam and allowed a RBI single and a RBI ground out before getting some slick fielding by his defense. Mike Zolk fielded a hard-hit ground ball in the hole to his left and fired to Tommy Coyle at second who completed an inning-ending double play with a throw to first to keep the Miami lead at 3-2.
The deficit would remain one going into top of the ninth which saw Jacob Stallings lead things off with a single to right field off of reliever A.J. Salcines.
Cody Stubbs drew Carolina's first walk of the weekend to put runners on first and second and nobody out for Mike Zolk who moved the pair into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
Miami's E.J. Encinosa jammed Tom Zengel with a pitch in on the hands and Zengel hit a soft liner back to Encinosa for the second out of the inning.
Encinosa then went 0-2 on Michael Russell with a pair of sliders away before coming inside on the freshman outfielder. The pitch barely missed hitting Russell and the Miami catcher was unable to hang onto the pitch as Stallings raced home to tie things up at 3-3 thanks to the passed ball.
Morin threw a scoreless ninth as he worked around a one-out error in the inning to get a fly out and a ground out to send the game into extra innings.
Morin, in his fourth inning of work after coming on in the seventh, walked the lead off man in the 10th before a sacrifice bunt moved him into scoring position.
A bunt single put runners on the corners and one out in the inning as Dale Carey stepped into the box. On a 0-1 pitch Carey lifted ball down the line in right field where Michael Russell was circling under. Russell made the catch and threw the ball on a line on two hops to Stallings at the plate to cut down Michael Broad to end the 10th inning.
Encinosa would sit the Tar Heels down in order in the 11th before Miami loaded the bases in the bottom half. With two outs and the bases full of Hurricanes Morin forced Broad into a soft liner a few steps to the left of shortstop Tommy Coyle who snagged the liner to end the threat.
The game quickly turned into a pitcher's dual in the 12th between Morin and Encinosa as the talented right-handers retired 15 straight batters in scoreless innings in the 12th, 13th and top of the 14th.
Morin went 1-1 on Tresgallo in the bottom of the 14th before the freshman hit a ball down the left field line that barely stayed inside the foul pole for a walk-off solo home run.
Morin finished the night by going a career-long seven innings while allowing four hits and the one run, while striking out three Canes.
The 14-inning affair was the longest game played by the Tar Heels since a 14-inning contest against NC State on April 23, 2006.
Carolina will look to regain at least a share of the ACC Coastal division top spot on Sunday as right-hander Benton Moss takes the hill for Carolina in the series finale at 1 p.m.
