Cody Roberts
GoHeels Exclusive: Flushing It
June 19, 2018 | Baseball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
OMAHA, Neb. — If not for that inning, if not for that pitch, maybe this story begins differently.
But unfortunately, both happened. And now the North Carolina baseball team finds itself preparing for a College World Series elimination game Wednesday night instead of spending the next two days sitting comfortably in the winners' bracket.
"Well, good news is we get to play again," said Mike Fox after UNC's 12-2 loss against Mississippi State on Tuesday. "You've got to turn the page pretty quickly out here. And I don't think any of us will want our season to end on that performance."
At one point, it didn't seem like Fox would have to make such a statement.
After severe weather postponed Monday night's game until Tuesday morning, Austin Bergner finally threw the first pitch at 11:15 a.m. ET, about 16 hours later than initially planned. Still, he looked sharp in the first inning, retiring all three batters he faced. Two outs came via strikeouts.
Kyle Datres then hit a leadoff double in the ensuing frame. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cody Roberts. And although Carolina couldn't score any more runs in the first inning, it forced Mississippi State starter Konnor Pilkington to throw 21 pitches.
The Tar Heels possessed momentum, a positive sign for a team that entered Tuesday with a 33-6 record when scoring first this season. Then they lost it.
After an error and two singles loaded the bases with one out, Bergner struck out Dustin Skelton. Bergner looked like he might do the same to Jordan Westburg. But on a 1-2 slider, Westburg, the Bulldogs' No. 9 hitter, hit a grand slam, giving Mississippi State a 4-1 lead.
"I just hung a breaking ball," Bergner said. "I don't know who hit it, but I just hung a breaking ball over the plate. He put a good swing on it and put it over the fence."
That, however, proved to be one of Bergner's few blemishes in an otherwise stellar start.
Bergner retired 16 straight batters after the home run. His fastball sat in the mid-90s, and he mixed his pitches well across seven-plus innings. Ultimately, he registered eight strikeouts, the most by a UNC pitcher in a CWS game since Alex White had 12 against Arizona State in 2009.
After giving up back-to-back singles and issuing an intentional walk to open the eighth inning, Bergner was pulled. He'd tossed 98 pitches, 71 for strikes. Of the 28 batters he faced, he'd thrown first-pitch strikes to 22 of them. That included 18 of the last 21 he faced.
"I think the biggest key was getting ahead early and just trying to put guys away early, get the leadoff guy out as many times as possible," Bergner said. "From there, good things happened. One of the things we've worked on all year is getting first-pitch strikes and putting guys away in four pitches or less. And I think that was the emphasis toward the back end of the game."
Even with the grand slam, which plated four unearned runs, Bergner's outing was perhaps his best across two seasons.
He kept the Tar Heels within striking distance. And if not for what unfolded after his removal, the performance might have been remembered years from now as one of the best by any Carolina pitcher in a postseason game.
UNC turned to what's been a reliable bullpen with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. And they stayed loaded for eight straight batters. The last of those, Westburg, hit a three-run double that capped an eight-run frame. During it, Mississippi State's lead grew from two runs to 10.
"You just want something good to happen," Fox said. "Those are the kind of innings that wake you up in the middle of the night. You have nightmares about innings like that as a coach. And it happens. It's part of the game.
"I think Austin sat down 16 in a row, 15 or 16 in a row, after the grand slam. And then it felt like they put 16 up there in one inning."
If not for that inning, if not for Bergner's one regrettable pitch – never mind the three errors, as many as they committed in their first six NCAA Tournament games – the Tar Heels could have feasibly been ahead or tied. Carolina could have potentially drove in another runner; it stranded seven total in the game.
But none of that happened. That's baseball. And on Wednesday night, against an Oregon State team that will be seeking revenge for Saturday's defeat, UNC will look to keep its season alive.
Throughout this season, especially in recent weeks, Fox has lauded his team for its ability to bounce back from whatever challenges it's faced. Specifically, he's said his players "flush things pretty quickly." That will be more important now than ever.
"I think a lot of us would probably say that was probably our worst game we've played all year just defensively," Cody Roberts said. "And we didn't take advantage of a lot of offensive things, as well. We've just got to flush it and move on."
OMAHA, Neb. — If not for that inning, if not for that pitch, maybe this story begins differently.
But unfortunately, both happened. And now the North Carolina baseball team finds itself preparing for a College World Series elimination game Wednesday night instead of spending the next two days sitting comfortably in the winners' bracket.
"Well, good news is we get to play again," said Mike Fox after UNC's 12-2 loss against Mississippi State on Tuesday. "You've got to turn the page pretty quickly out here. And I don't think any of us will want our season to end on that performance."
At one point, it didn't seem like Fox would have to make such a statement.
After severe weather postponed Monday night's game until Tuesday morning, Austin Bergner finally threw the first pitch at 11:15 a.m. ET, about 16 hours later than initially planned. Still, he looked sharp in the first inning, retiring all three batters he faced. Two outs came via strikeouts.
Kyle Datres then hit a leadoff double in the ensuing frame. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cody Roberts. And although Carolina couldn't score any more runs in the first inning, it forced Mississippi State starter Konnor Pilkington to throw 21 pitches.
The Tar Heels possessed momentum, a positive sign for a team that entered Tuesday with a 33-6 record when scoring first this season. Then they lost it.
After an error and two singles loaded the bases with one out, Bergner struck out Dustin Skelton. Bergner looked like he might do the same to Jordan Westburg. But on a 1-2 slider, Westburg, the Bulldogs' No. 9 hitter, hit a grand slam, giving Mississippi State a 4-1 lead.
"I just hung a breaking ball," Bergner said. "I don't know who hit it, but I just hung a breaking ball over the plate. He put a good swing on it and put it over the fence."
That, however, proved to be one of Bergner's few blemishes in an otherwise stellar start.
Bergner retired 16 straight batters after the home run. His fastball sat in the mid-90s, and he mixed his pitches well across seven-plus innings. Ultimately, he registered eight strikeouts, the most by a UNC pitcher in a CWS game since Alex White had 12 against Arizona State in 2009.
After giving up back-to-back singles and issuing an intentional walk to open the eighth inning, Bergner was pulled. He'd tossed 98 pitches, 71 for strikes. Of the 28 batters he faced, he'd thrown first-pitch strikes to 22 of them. That included 18 of the last 21 he faced.
"I think the biggest key was getting ahead early and just trying to put guys away early, get the leadoff guy out as many times as possible," Bergner said. "From there, good things happened. One of the things we've worked on all year is getting first-pitch strikes and putting guys away in four pitches or less. And I think that was the emphasis toward the back end of the game."
Even with the grand slam, which plated four unearned runs, Bergner's outing was perhaps his best across two seasons.
He kept the Tar Heels within striking distance. And if not for what unfolded after his removal, the performance might have been remembered years from now as one of the best by any Carolina pitcher in a postseason game.
UNC turned to what's been a reliable bullpen with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. And they stayed loaded for eight straight batters. The last of those, Westburg, hit a three-run double that capped an eight-run frame. During it, Mississippi State's lead grew from two runs to 10.
"You just want something good to happen," Fox said. "Those are the kind of innings that wake you up in the middle of the night. You have nightmares about innings like that as a coach. And it happens. It's part of the game.
"I think Austin sat down 16 in a row, 15 or 16 in a row, after the grand slam. And then it felt like they put 16 up there in one inning."
If not for that inning, if not for Bergner's one regrettable pitch – never mind the three errors, as many as they committed in their first six NCAA Tournament games – the Tar Heels could have feasibly been ahead or tied. Carolina could have potentially drove in another runner; it stranded seven total in the game.
But none of that happened. That's baseball. And on Wednesday night, against an Oregon State team that will be seeking revenge for Saturday's defeat, UNC will look to keep its season alive.
Throughout this season, especially in recent weeks, Fox has lauded his team for its ability to bounce back from whatever challenges it's faced. Specifically, he's said his players "flush things pretty quickly." That will be more important now than ever.
"I think a lot of us would probably say that was probably our worst game we've played all year just defensively," Cody Roberts said. "And we didn't take advantage of a lot of offensive things, as well. We've just got to flush it and move on."
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