Lancellotti Pitches Gem As Tar Heels Fall In Extras

Saturday, February 29

Minneapolis, Minn. (US Bank)

4 p.m.

North Carolina

7-4

Iowa

4-4

North Carolina

Iowa

February 29, 2020 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Aury St. Germain

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS- Joey Lancellotti shined in the North Carolina's first extra-inning game of the season, but it was not enough, as the Tar Heels fell 5-4 in 10 innings.

Lancellotti pitched a gem for the Tar Heels, throwing 7.0 innings, striking out six and allowing just one hit.

At the plate, North Carolina roped three triples, a season-high. Angel Zarate continued his dominant presence in the batter's box and finished with Dylan Harris as the Tar Heels' only multi-hit batters.

North Carolina surrendered four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, which forced extra innings. The Tar Heels loaded the bases in the 10^th inning after back-to-back singles from Patrick Alvarez and Harris, and an intentional walk, but stranded all three runners.

After Nik Pryor collected back-to-back strikeouts in the 10^th, Iowa hit a solo home run to win the contest, 5-4.

Key Moments

After a one-out triple in the first inning from Zarate, Aaron Sabato doubled to bring him home and give the Tar Heels the first lead of the game.
Two batters later, Will Stewart sent a ball over the left fielder's head to plate Sabato and give the Tar Heels a 2-0 advantage.
The Tar Heels third triple of the game came in the fifth inning when Dylan Harris bounced a ball off of the right field wall.
During the ensuing at-bat, Zarate plated Harris with a single up the middle.
With a runner on third and two outs, second baseman Mikey Madej fielded the ball in shallow center field to end the inning.
Iowa collected its first hit, a single to right field, in the seventh inning.
Danny Serretti smashed a double into the right field gap in the ninth inning and scored on a wild pitch after reaching third base after a sacrifice bunt.
After loading the bases with three walks, Iowa scored its first run of the game by drawing a fourth.
The Hawkeyes followed up the walk with a base hit and a sacrifice fly to tie the game at four runs.
Patrick Alvarez led off the tenth inning with an infield single, which was followed by a single to right field off of the bat of Harris.
After Sabato was intentionally walked in the tenth, the Tar Heels stranded three runners in the 10^th.
With two outs in the bottom of the tenth, the Hawkeyes hit a home run to win.

Noteworthy

Zarate recorded the second triple of the season for the Tar Heels in the first inning with one out.
Will Stewart launched a triple, the first of his career, into left field in the first inning.
Spanning from the second to the sixth inning, Joey Lancellotti retired 11-straight batters.
Lancellotti gave up his first hit of the day with two outs in the seventh inning.
Lancellotti's 7.0 innings pitched tied a career-high.
Serretti launched his first double of the season.

Postgame Quote
Head Coach Mike Fox
On Lancellotti's performance
"Joey Lancellotti was sensational tonight. We were limiting his pitches to 80 or 85 to get him ready for Notre Dame. He gave us a chance to win, but we couldn't close it out in the ninth."

Up Next
The Tar Heels close out their midwestern stint tomorrow against Purdue at 11 a.m. (EST)