University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Coastal Carolina
No. 11 Tar Heels Stumble At Coastal
March 10, 2015 | Baseball
CONWAY, S.C. --- No. 11 North Carolina fell to Coastal Carolina 13-2 Tuesday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium. Austin Kerr allowed one run in four innings for the Chanticleers, who pounded out 14 hits and broke open a close game with runs in each of their last three times at bat. Skye Bolt, Zack Gahagan and Adam Pate had two hits apiece for the Tar Heels, who return to action Wednesday at noon with a home game against Gardner-Webb.
Carolina (10-5) jumped on Kerr for three hits and a run in the first but didn't score again until the eighth. Gahagan drove Landon Lassiter home with a sharp single off the glove of shortstop Michael Paez, but Kerr escaped further damage when Logan Warmoth flew out to right after Bolt's single.
Coastal (11-6) took the lead for good thanks to a pair of unearned runs in the third. After Anthony Marks doubled to lead off the inning, Paez bunted him to third ahead of Connor Owings. Owings grounded back to UNC starter Hunter Williams (0-1), who fired wide of first to allow Marks to score. Three batters later, Williams hit Casey Schroeder and Tyler Chadwick with consecutive pitches to force in a second run and give the Chants a lead they would not relinquish.
The Tar Heels got a runner in scoring position in the second, third and fifth, but could not push a run across until Alex Raburn's RBI fielder's choice in the eighth. By then Coastal had added five runs against the Carolina bullpen, and the Chants pushed the lead to 13-2 with six more in the eighth.
Wood Myers left the game in the fourth inning after suffering a left leg injury trying to retreat to first after a bloop single. The sophomore shortstop was carted off the field and will be re-evaluated by UNC doctors on Wednesday.
Five different Coastal batters had two hits, including Paez, who drove in three and homered to left in the seventh. After Kerr was replaced to start the fifth, three Chanticleer relievers limited Carolina to one run on three hits over the final five innings.
The Tar Heels face a quick turnaround as Wednesday's game in Chapel Hill against Gardner-Webb has been moved up to a noon start due to expected rain later in the day. Freshman right-hander Brett Daniels will get the start for UNC.
