University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
23-6
East Carolina
18-12
McGee Walks Off East Carolina In Extras
April 5, 2017 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL --- Ashton McGee's bases-loaded single with two outs in the 11th Tuesday night gave No. 4 North Carolina a 3-2 win over East Carolina and completed a season sweep of the Pirates. McGee, who was hitless in five trips prior to the game winner, lined an RBI single just beyond the reach of ECU right fielder T.J. Riles to score Adam Pate from third. Austin Bergner worked two scoreless innings of relief to pick up his second win of the year for the Tar Heels, who have won five straight to improve to 23-6.
East Carolina (18-12) struck first on Riles' run-scoring single in the second off Tyler Baum. But the Tar Heels immediately responded with two runs without a hit to take a 2-1 lead. Kirk Morgan hit Kyle Datres, walked Brandon Riley, hit Zack Gahagan and walked Michael Busch before a Cody Roberts sac fly put UNC in front.
That would be it for the scoring until the seventh, when the Pirates equalized with an unearned run. Dusty Baker walked and Charlie Yorgen singled to lead off the inning, and both men moved up on a passed ball. Turner Brown then plated Baker with a groundout, but ECU missed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Yorgen was run down at third on a failed squeeze play.
Both teams continued to squander chances in the late innings on a night when a combined 25 men were left on base. East Carolina had two in scoring position with one out in the 10th, but Zack Gahagan threw out Eric Tyler at home and Bergner struck out Bryce Harman to end the threat.
Carolina finally broke through in the 11th against Joe Ingle (3-3), the fifth ECU pitcher of the night. Ingle loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and a pair of walks to set the stage for McGee's first career game-ending hit. The freshman from Pikeville fouled off a 2-1 pitch before lining a fastball to right that was just beyond the reach of Riles.
ECU out-hit the Tar Heels 11-7, but five Carolina pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts and the Pirates finished 4 for 21 with runners on base.
Rodney Hutchison Jr., Brett Daniels and Josh Hiatt allowed just one unearned run in six innings before Bergner went two scoreless to improve to 2-1.
Carolina heads back out on the road Friday when the Tar Heels visit Boston College for the first of three in Chestnut Hill.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bergner, Austin (2-1)
L: INGLE, Joe (3-3)
Batting:
2B: BROWN, Turner 1 ; TYLER, Eric 1 ; LLOYD, Brady 1
RBI: BROWN, Turner 1 ; RILES, T.J. 1
SH: BROWN, Turner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: TYLER, Eric 1 ; BAKER, Dusty 1
PO: YORGEN, Charlie 1
Batting:
2B: Warmoth, Logan 2 ; Roberts, Cody 1
RBI: McGee, Ashton 1 ; Busch, Michael 1 ; Roberts, Cody 1
SH: Busch, Michael 1
SF: Roberts, Cody 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Datres, Kyle 1 ; Lynn, Tyler 1 ; Pate, Adam 1
HBP: Datres, Kyle 2 ; Gahagan, Zack 2
