University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Bouncing Back
May 25, 2014 | Baseball, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
It could have been disastrous. Carolina led Maryland 7-2 when the seventh inning began and looked to hand a loss to one of the two teams qualified for the ACC Tournament title game. Then, all of a sudden, the Terrapins took advantage of their own timely hitting and some Tar Heel fielding miscues to knot the score.
Carolina could have folded at that point, with all of the game's momentum in the first base dugout, with Maryland feeling good about their week in Greensboro and looking toward Sunday. A 1-2-3 bottom half for the Tar Heel offense certainly didn't bode well. Reilly Hovis then worked around a couple of inherited runners to put the bats back in the hands of the Tar Heels.
To be more specific, Hovis put the bats back in the hands of the Tar Heel freshmen. Joe Dudek pinch hit for Zach Daly and rocketed a single past first base to begin the Carolina eighth. Korey Dunbar moved over pinch-runner Michael Massardo with a sacrifice bunt before another Tar Heel freshman stepped in. Adam Pate drew a five-pitch walk to give the Tar Heels runners at first and second. Then, freshman Wood Myers' single was nearly caught by Maryland's Charlie White –the play was close enough that Massardo had to hold up to be sure– but Massardo was called safe at home on a close play to give the Tar Heels an 8-7 lead. Three freshmen had gotten on base for the Tar Heels, and they'd pushed the go-ahead run across.
Myers has been a starter all season long, but Dudek and Pate had been limited to spot duty lately. It's certainly a good sign that they stepped up to the plate quite literally ready to contribute. All told, the tar Heel freshmen had five hits at the plate with four runs scored, two driven in, two walks, two stolen bases, and a single strikeout.
“A lot of guys helped us today, and some guys that hadn't been in there, hadn't played a whole lot,” Tar Heel head coach Mike Fox said. “That's great to see. That's great going forward, because when kids don't play, it's easy for them to kind of check out, and boy they were out there trying hard and did some good things to help us win.”
The freshmen set the table, and then the heart of the order continued the action. Carolina got RBI singles from Landon Lassiter, then Skye Bolt, then (freshman) Tyler Ramirez. Alex Raburn's deep sacrifice fly scored Bolt, and then Parks Jordan drove in another with a single.
After giving up that five-run lead, the Tar Heels had responded with six more. Hovis then returned to the mound to shut the door, with some help from shortstop Alex Raburn. Carolina tied their season-high with 13 runs scored (set on March 11) and earned quality win.
It was a bit of a shame that Tar Heel starter Zac Gallen (another freshman) didn't have the opportunity to earn a decision. He gave the team a terrific start, scattering seven hits and four runs on five strikeouts before handing the ball to Thornton. Gallen has continued to improve in his performances against the difficult ACC schedule.
During one preseason scrimmage, Fox turned to his dugout to address his team, with Gallen behind him on the mound. “He's going to win a lot of games for us, because he doesn't what?” Fox said.
“Walk people,” they responded.
“Walk people.” And Gallen didn't issue a single walk on Saturday. He mixed a lively fastball with a good slider to keep the Terps on their toes. He was chased from the game in the seventh after a pair of singles, but Fox was happy with what Gallen gave the team. “He's been really good for us lately,” Fox said. “He's pitched well.”
And so after giving up a 7-2 lead, Carolina battled and put up six runs in the eighth inning to get past Maryland 13-7 in their final contest of the 2014 ACC Tournament. Because of the one-run loss to Virginia on Friday, Carolina won't play in Sunday's tournament title game. But they did get two wins in four games in this event and now submit their résumé for NCAA Tournament consideration. All they can do now is wait. Skye Bolt said he was going to go fishing on Sunday. The team will gather Monday and watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show to learn their fate.
Carolina is 34-25 with a 15-15 record in one of the nation's toughest conferences and 2-2 in a week of difficult conference tournament competition. They're hovering around 40th in RPI. This program isn't accustomed to uncertainty when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, so they'll watch this year's show with new eyes. “We're normally used to seeing whether or not we're a national seed,” Jordan said after Saturday's game. “But it is what is, and we're going to take what we can get. Hopefully, we get to play somewhere and we're going to try to play the best ball we can and continue on.”
