University of North Carolina Athletics
Luca Dalatri
Photo by: Joe Bray
This Day In Tar Heel Baseball History: April 15
April 15, 2020 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILLÂ - North Carolina will begin to look at "On This Day in Tar Heel History", as Tom Jensen will share his memories as an avid Tar Heel fan and regular at Boshamer Stadium.Â
April 15
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2009 for a midweek game at the Bosh that wasn't all that important but was a lot of fun, and to a 2017 series clincher against the Wolfpack.
On April 15, 2009 the Heels hosted Winthrop at the Bosh. It's fun to remember that game because something happened in it that I don't recall happening any other time.
The Eagles scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, the Heels won the rest of the game 20-1 for a 20-4 victory. 13 different guys got hits that day:
-Ben Bunting (including 2 triples, 3 RBI's, and 3 runs scored), Ryan Graepel (including a double and 3 runs scored), and Garrett Gore (3 runs scored) each had a trio of hits.
-Mark Fleury (including a double and 2 RBI) and Dustin Ackley (including 2 RBI) both had a pair of hits.
-A bunch of guys who didn't get a ton of playing time that year got hits. Brett Thomas, who ended up transferring to Winthrop later, hit a 3 run blast off his future team. Matt Harrison hit a double and scored a run. Mike McKee hit an RBI single and Ryan Norton singled and scored a run.
-And then there was Logan Munson, a lefty reliever. Mark Fleury was the starting DH but about halfway through the game he moved into the field to catch, which meant we gave up the DH. We had Logan slotted in the 9 hole and we had the top of the order up in the 6th, so it was pretty safe that we could get a couple innings out of him and then just pinch hit when his spot  came up.
But then we batted around in the 6th. Logan's spot came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and an 11-3 lead. It was one of those weeks where we played 5 games that use up a lot of pitching, and we didn't really want to take him out after just one inning.
So for the only time I can ever remember, we just let the relief pitcher bat. As you would probably expect, he quickly got down 0-2 in the count. But then he smacked one right back up the middle for a hit to bring both runners around. Carolina Baseball has a long history so I can't 100% guarantee it, but I'm pretty sure Logan Munson is the only player in the illustrious history of this program to average two RBI's per at bat for his career, because that was definitely the only one he ever had!
Logan also retired all 6 hitters he faced, so it was a pretty good day at the office for him. Nate Striz got the win for one of the longest outings of his Tar Heel career- he went 4 scoreless innings and only allowed 1 hit. Greg Holt also had a scoreless inning in the victory.
This was one of those nights where pretty much all 35 guys on the roster got to contribute, some in unusual ways, so even though it wasn't the highest stakes game it's a fun one to remember.Â
On April 15, 2017 the Heels were trying to clinch the series at home against State to make it six-straight winning weekends to start ACC play. The night before the game was close early before we broke it open late for a 7-2 win. Saturday unfolded similarly.
The Wolfpack got a run in the 2nd but the Heels immediately matched it in the bottom half when Brandon Riley singled and Cody Roberts walked, Tyler Lynn bunted to move them over to 2nd and 3rd, Zack Gahagan walked to load the bases, and Brandon Martorano hit a sac fly to bring around Brandon Riley.
Luca Dalatri was on the hill for the Heels and threw a scoreless 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. The Pack starter was dealing too, and the Heels went hitless from the 3rd through 5th.
In the 6th though Kyle Datres hit a leadoff double and came around on a triple by Brandon Riley to make it 2-1. Cody hit a sac fly to bring in Brandon and Tyler Lynn followed with a single that he advanced to 2nd on after a State error. Michael Busch still wasn't playing every day at that point- a good reminder how much he grew from his freshman to junior year- and came up to pinch hit. He hit one through the right side to bring in Tyler and give the Heels a 4-1 edge.
Brett Daniels got the first couple outs in the 7th and Rodney Hutchison came in with runners on 2nd and 3rd and the Pack having a good chance to get right back into it. He coaxed a fly ball to center to end the inning and in the 7th and 8th the Heels added to the advantage.
In the 7th Ashton McGee doubled, moved to 3rd on an error, and came home on a wild pitch to make it 5-1. And in the 8th Cody Roberts and Tyler Lynn singled to lead off the inning and Zack Gahagan bunted them over to put 2 in scoring position with 1 out. With 2 out Brian Miller drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up Logan Warmoth. Logan singled to center to bring in both Cody and Tyler, and push the lead to 7-1.
All the insurance runs were nice but they weren't actually necessary because Rodney was on that day. After stranding the 2 runners he inherited in the 7th he got 1-2-3 innings in both the 8th and 9th for a 7 up 7 down outing and his first save of the season. Luca got the game win for his 6 innings, 1 run allowed outing and the Heels had their 6th straight series win to start ACC play (spoiler alert: they ended up winning all 10.)
Ashton McGee (with 2 doubles), Brandon Riley (including his triple), and Tyler Lynn all had multi hit days for the Heels. The win pushed the season record to 29-6 and the ACC record to 14-3.
And some quick hits from 2006, 2008, and 2012:
-In 2006 the Heels clinched the series in Virginia Tech's first trip to the Bosh as a member of the ACC, 3-1 (we've won every home series against them since too with a cumulative record of 20-1.) Robert Woodard started and threw 7 innings and allowed just 1 run while striking out 7. Â
The Heels got a pair in the 1st when Chad Flack singled and stole 2nd and came around on a single by Josh Horton. Josh took 2nd on an error and scored on a Jay Cox single.
The same cast of characters produced the other Heels run, which came in the 8th. Chad and Josh singled, and Benji Johnson got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jay singled again to bring Chad around and provide the final 3-1 margin.
Jonathan Hovis threw a scoreless 8th and Andrew Carignan got the save with a scoreless 9th. The win pushed the Heels record on the season to 30-7.
-In 2008 the Heels went to Greensboro and beat the Spartans 14-3 in a game highlighted by Tim Fedroff hitting for the cycle. He got the triple in the 1st, the double in the 2nd, and the home run in the 4th. In the 6th he walked, in the 8th he singled to finish the cycle, and in the 9th he walked again for his 6th time reaching base.
Kyle Shelton also had a big day with 3 hits, including a home run and a double, and 4 RBI. Garrett Gore (including a triple), Dustin Ackley (including a double), and Brett Thomas all had pairs of hits as well. A 2 run triple by Kyle Seager was the other offensive highlight.
Patrick Johnson gave up 2 hits in 5 innings while striking out 6 to earn the win. Coach Bryant Gaines, Logan Munson, and Nate Striz combined for 4 scoreless innings of relief to close it out.
-In 2012 the Heels completed a rare sweep in Charlottesville with a 5-3 win over the Hoos. The key was a 4 run 2nd. Cody Stubbs and Michael Russell singled to lead off the inning and Mike Zolk moved them into scoring position with a bunt. Brian Holberton singled up the middle to bring them both home, and then stole second. An Adam Griffin single brought him around. Adam moved to 2nd on a productive out by Parks Jordan, and Chaz Frank singled to bring him home and make it a 4 run inning.
The Heels added another in the 6th when Mike Zolk singled, moved over on a bunt by Holbie, and came around on a Parks single.
April 15
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2009 for a midweek game at the Bosh that wasn't all that important but was a lot of fun, and to a 2017 series clincher against the Wolfpack.
On April 15, 2009 the Heels hosted Winthrop at the Bosh. It's fun to remember that game because something happened in it that I don't recall happening any other time.
The Eagles scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, the Heels won the rest of the game 20-1 for a 20-4 victory. 13 different guys got hits that day:
-Ben Bunting (including 2 triples, 3 RBI's, and 3 runs scored), Ryan Graepel (including a double and 3 runs scored), and Garrett Gore (3 runs scored) each had a trio of hits.
-Mark Fleury (including a double and 2 RBI) and Dustin Ackley (including 2 RBI) both had a pair of hits.
-A bunch of guys who didn't get a ton of playing time that year got hits. Brett Thomas, who ended up transferring to Winthrop later, hit a 3 run blast off his future team. Matt Harrison hit a double and scored a run. Mike McKee hit an RBI single and Ryan Norton singled and scored a run.
-And then there was Logan Munson, a lefty reliever. Mark Fleury was the starting DH but about halfway through the game he moved into the field to catch, which meant we gave up the DH. We had Logan slotted in the 9 hole and we had the top of the order up in the 6th, so it was pretty safe that we could get a couple innings out of him and then just pinch hit when his spot  came up.
But then we batted around in the 6th. Logan's spot came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and an 11-3 lead. It was one of those weeks where we played 5 games that use up a lot of pitching, and we didn't really want to take him out after just one inning.
So for the only time I can ever remember, we just let the relief pitcher bat. As you would probably expect, he quickly got down 0-2 in the count. But then he smacked one right back up the middle for a hit to bring both runners around. Carolina Baseball has a long history so I can't 100% guarantee it, but I'm pretty sure Logan Munson is the only player in the illustrious history of this program to average two RBI's per at bat for his career, because that was definitely the only one he ever had!
Logan also retired all 6 hitters he faced, so it was a pretty good day at the office for him. Nate Striz got the win for one of the longest outings of his Tar Heel career- he went 4 scoreless innings and only allowed 1 hit. Greg Holt also had a scoreless inning in the victory.
This was one of those nights where pretty much all 35 guys on the roster got to contribute, some in unusual ways, so even though it wasn't the highest stakes game it's a fun one to remember.Â
On April 15, 2017 the Heels were trying to clinch the series at home against State to make it six-straight winning weekends to start ACC play. The night before the game was close early before we broke it open late for a 7-2 win. Saturday unfolded similarly.
The Wolfpack got a run in the 2nd but the Heels immediately matched it in the bottom half when Brandon Riley singled and Cody Roberts walked, Tyler Lynn bunted to move them over to 2nd and 3rd, Zack Gahagan walked to load the bases, and Brandon Martorano hit a sac fly to bring around Brandon Riley.
Luca Dalatri was on the hill for the Heels and threw a scoreless 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. The Pack starter was dealing too, and the Heels went hitless from the 3rd through 5th.
In the 6th though Kyle Datres hit a leadoff double and came around on a triple by Brandon Riley to make it 2-1. Cody hit a sac fly to bring in Brandon and Tyler Lynn followed with a single that he advanced to 2nd on after a State error. Michael Busch still wasn't playing every day at that point- a good reminder how much he grew from his freshman to junior year- and came up to pinch hit. He hit one through the right side to bring in Tyler and give the Heels a 4-1 edge.
Brett Daniels got the first couple outs in the 7th and Rodney Hutchison came in with runners on 2nd and 3rd and the Pack having a good chance to get right back into it. He coaxed a fly ball to center to end the inning and in the 7th and 8th the Heels added to the advantage.
In the 7th Ashton McGee doubled, moved to 3rd on an error, and came home on a wild pitch to make it 5-1. And in the 8th Cody Roberts and Tyler Lynn singled to lead off the inning and Zack Gahagan bunted them over to put 2 in scoring position with 1 out. With 2 out Brian Miller drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up Logan Warmoth. Logan singled to center to bring in both Cody and Tyler, and push the lead to 7-1.
All the insurance runs were nice but they weren't actually necessary because Rodney was on that day. After stranding the 2 runners he inherited in the 7th he got 1-2-3 innings in both the 8th and 9th for a 7 up 7 down outing and his first save of the season. Luca got the game win for his 6 innings, 1 run allowed outing and the Heels had their 6th straight series win to start ACC play (spoiler alert: they ended up winning all 10.)
Ashton McGee (with 2 doubles), Brandon Riley (including his triple), and Tyler Lynn all had multi hit days for the Heels. The win pushed the season record to 29-6 and the ACC record to 14-3.
And some quick hits from 2006, 2008, and 2012:
-In 2006 the Heels clinched the series in Virginia Tech's first trip to the Bosh as a member of the ACC, 3-1 (we've won every home series against them since too with a cumulative record of 20-1.) Robert Woodard started and threw 7 innings and allowed just 1 run while striking out 7. Â
The Heels got a pair in the 1st when Chad Flack singled and stole 2nd and came around on a single by Josh Horton. Josh took 2nd on an error and scored on a Jay Cox single.
The same cast of characters produced the other Heels run, which came in the 8th. Chad and Josh singled, and Benji Johnson got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jay singled again to bring Chad around and provide the final 3-1 margin.
Jonathan Hovis threw a scoreless 8th and Andrew Carignan got the save with a scoreless 9th. The win pushed the Heels record on the season to 30-7.
-In 2008 the Heels went to Greensboro and beat the Spartans 14-3 in a game highlighted by Tim Fedroff hitting for the cycle. He got the triple in the 1st, the double in the 2nd, and the home run in the 4th. In the 6th he walked, in the 8th he singled to finish the cycle, and in the 9th he walked again for his 6th time reaching base.
Kyle Shelton also had a big day with 3 hits, including a home run and a double, and 4 RBI. Garrett Gore (including a triple), Dustin Ackley (including a double), and Brett Thomas all had pairs of hits as well. A 2 run triple by Kyle Seager was the other offensive highlight.
Patrick Johnson gave up 2 hits in 5 innings while striking out 6 to earn the win. Coach Bryant Gaines, Logan Munson, and Nate Striz combined for 4 scoreless innings of relief to close it out.
-In 2012 the Heels completed a rare sweep in Charlottesville with a 5-3 win over the Hoos. The key was a 4 run 2nd. Cody Stubbs and Michael Russell singled to lead off the inning and Mike Zolk moved them into scoring position with a bunt. Brian Holberton singled up the middle to bring them both home, and then stole second. An Adam Griffin single brought him around. Adam moved to 2nd on a productive out by Parks Jordan, and Chaz Frank singled to bring him home and make it a 4 run inning.
The Heels added another in the 6th when Mike Zolk singled, moved over on a bunt by Holbie, and came around on a Parks single.
Players Mentioned
1B
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RHP
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3B
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1B/3B/2B
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C
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OF/2B/3B
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OF
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C
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