University of North Carolina Athletics
Skye Bolt
Photo by: Joe Bray
This Day In Tar Heel Baseball History: April 6
April 6, 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 6
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2013 for a game that clinched the Heels' seventh-consecutive series win (it would eventually grow to 9) to start the season and to 2018 for a marathon Friday night win that paved the way for taking a series in Miami for the first time in a decade.
On April 6, 2013 the Heels fell behind early 2-0 to Maryland at Boshamer. In the bottom of the second inning, Michael Russell singled and then stole a base and advanced to third on an error on the throw. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Parks Jordan. This is the third time this week I've written about Michael almost single handedly manufacturing a run with his base running after getting on, an under appreciated quality of his career.Â
In the bottom of the 3rd, Landon Lassiter doubled and Colin Moran singled him over to 3rd with one out. The Heels then pulled off one of my favorite trademark plays- Colin broke for second and when the Terps caught him in a rundown Landon ran home and scored to tie it up.
The Terps got a run to retake the lead in the top of the 4th but in the bottom half of the inning the Heels broke it open. Cody Stubbs, Michael Russell, and Mike Zolk singled back-to-back-to-back to load the bases to lead off the inning.Â
Parks Jordan continued the hit parade with a single to bring in Stubbs and tie it back up. Matt Roberts hit a fly ball to the outfield, before the Maryland fielder dropped it, allowing Michael to score and make it 4-3. Brian Holberton hit a ground ball to 2nd for an RBI that brought in Zoom and made it 5-3.
From there the story the rest of the day was the bullpen. Tate Parrish came in with the bases loaded in the 4th and popped up the only batter he faced to get out of the threat. Shane Taylor threw a scoreless 5th and that set the stage for Chris McCue, who ended up being the real star of the day.
Chris threw a scoreless 6th, 7th, and 8th and only allowed 2 runners to reach base total over the course of those innings. It was a good thing he was so effective because the Terp pitching was too- between the 5th and 8th the Heels only managed a pair of singles from Brian Holberton and Matt Roberts.
Trent Thornton came in for the 9th and struck out the last 2 batters for the first save of his Tar Heel career. Tate got the win for his big bases loaded out in the 4th and in addition to clinching the series, the victory pushed the Heels' victory to 28-2 on the season.Â
Over the course of the 2010s there was nowhere the Heels had a harder time playing than Miami. In 2010 we got swept, in 2012 we got swept, in 2014 we lost 2 of 3, and in 2016 we got swept so when we headed to Coral Gables in 2018 we were 1-11 there for the decade.
The series opener on April 6, 2018 got off to a good start for the Heels. With an out in the 2nd, Ashton McGee bunted for a single, and Ike Freeman and Kip Brandenburg each drew walks to load the bases. Dallas Tessar singled to left to bring in McGee and Freeman and just like that the Heels led 2-0.
After that the Miami pitching really settled in and from the 3rd to the 6th the Heels managed only one hit, a single by Freeman. The Canes scored a pair in the 3rd to tie it up and then got another one in the 6th to take a 3-2 lead.
With an out in the 7th, Brandon Martorano pinch hit and drew a walk. Dylan Enwiller pinch ran and immediately stole 2nd, and he came around on a Clemente Inclan single to center to tie up the game at three runs.
From there the big story for the Heels was the bullpen. Brett Daniels came on and got the last out of the 6th and threw a scoreless 7th and 8th as well without giving up a hit.
In the 8th the Heels loaded the bases with one out when Zack Gahagan got hit by a pitch, Ashton McGee singled him over, and Ike Freeman drew a walk. But they weren't able to score- this had been a hallmark of the decade of frustration in Miami- lots of close games, lots of opportunities, just never quite converting.
Josh Hiatt came in for Brett in the 9th and got through that frame and the 10th without allowing any Canes into scoring position. In the top of the 11th came an unexpected hero- Josh Ladowski. Josh only had 13 hits in his Tar Heel career but he got a big one here, tripling to right field. Cody Roberts squeezed him in and the Heels led 4-3.
One of the most excruciating games of the last decade for me came in Miami in 2014 when the Heels took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 16th inning, only to give up a pair of runs and lose in the bottom of the inning.
After the bottom of the 11th it seemed like we could be cursed for a similar fate. The Canes got the lead runner on with an error, bunted him over, singled him in, and just like that the lead we'd achieved in extra innings was gone.
Then the script flipped. Kyle Datres hit a leadoff double on the very first pitch of the 12th, and moved to 3rd on a single by Brandon Riley. That brought up Zack Gahagan and he hit the first pitch he saw into center to score Kyle and give the Heels the lead back at 5-4.Â
With one out, Ike Freeman reached on a fly ball that got dropped to load the bases and Ben Casparius singled between 3rd and 2nd to bring in Brandon and make it 6-4.
That brought back up Josh Ladowski and he got perhaps the second biggest hit of his career an inning after getting the biggest one, doubling to right to bring in Gahagan and Freeman and make it 8-4.
Given the decades of struggles in Miami we were still waiting for something bad to happen in the bottom of the 12th but Josh Hiatt quickly dispelled that notion with a 1-2-3 inning where he struck out two to close it out. He got a well deserved win for his four-inning outing where he struck out six and allowed just two hits.
That game- 4 hours and 40 minutes- paved the way for a somewhat easier Heels victory the next day and our first series win in Coral Gables since 2008.
A couple quick hits for April 6th:
-Speaking of 2008, the Heels remarkably didn't lose an ACC series that whole season. On this day they beat Georgia Tech 10-4 in Cary to clinch the series. Kyle Seager led the way with 3 hits, including a double, and drove in 3 runs. Tim Fedroff (including a double), Chad Flack (driving in a pair of runs), and Mark Fleury all had multi hit games as well.Â
Adam Warren got the win but Brian Moran was the pitching star. He came in with a runner on 2nd and one out in the 6th with the Heels up 6-3 and struck out the first 2 hitters he faced, then added 1-2-3 efforts in the 7th and 8th. He retired all eight hitters he faced, and struck out six of them.Â
-Speaking of the Moran family, we go to 2014 for a good Tar Heel family story. Brian and Colin Moran have both already appeared in today's round up. I want to talk about that family's loyalty to this program.Â
In 2014 we played at Boston College this weekend. Brian and Colin's parents live in New York but the Saturday of that series- even though neither son was on the team anymore- they drove 362 miles round trip to BC for the game. It was really awesome to see them and when we left the game that day I was sad thinking about how long it might be until I saw them again.
They drove 362 miles round trip to BC to see us play again the next day! And it was a good day for the Heels, as they beat the Eagles 12-2 to win the series. Seven Heels had multiple hits. Parks Jordan (with a double and 3 RBI) and Michael Russell (with a double and 3 runs) led the way with 3 each and Korey Dunbar, Adrian Chacon, Landon Lassiter, and Wood Myers all had a pair as well. Zac Gallen started and got the win with 5 solid innings and Reilly Hovis was especially impressive in relief, throwing four innings of scoreless, hitless ball to close out the game and earn the save.
724 miles of driving in 2 days to support a team your kids don't play on anymore. That's what being a Tar Heel is all about.Â
April 6
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2013 for a game that clinched the Heels' seventh-consecutive series win (it would eventually grow to 9) to start the season and to 2018 for a marathon Friday night win that paved the way for taking a series in Miami for the first time in a decade.
On April 6, 2013 the Heels fell behind early 2-0 to Maryland at Boshamer. In the bottom of the second inning, Michael Russell singled and then stole a base and advanced to third on an error on the throw. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Parks Jordan. This is the third time this week I've written about Michael almost single handedly manufacturing a run with his base running after getting on, an under appreciated quality of his career.Â
In the bottom of the 3rd, Landon Lassiter doubled and Colin Moran singled him over to 3rd with one out. The Heels then pulled off one of my favorite trademark plays- Colin broke for second and when the Terps caught him in a rundown Landon ran home and scored to tie it up.
The Terps got a run to retake the lead in the top of the 4th but in the bottom half of the inning the Heels broke it open. Cody Stubbs, Michael Russell, and Mike Zolk singled back-to-back-to-back to load the bases to lead off the inning.Â
Parks Jordan continued the hit parade with a single to bring in Stubbs and tie it back up. Matt Roberts hit a fly ball to the outfield, before the Maryland fielder dropped it, allowing Michael to score and make it 4-3. Brian Holberton hit a ground ball to 2nd for an RBI that brought in Zoom and made it 5-3.
From there the story the rest of the day was the bullpen. Tate Parrish came in with the bases loaded in the 4th and popped up the only batter he faced to get out of the threat. Shane Taylor threw a scoreless 5th and that set the stage for Chris McCue, who ended up being the real star of the day.
Chris threw a scoreless 6th, 7th, and 8th and only allowed 2 runners to reach base total over the course of those innings. It was a good thing he was so effective because the Terp pitching was too- between the 5th and 8th the Heels only managed a pair of singles from Brian Holberton and Matt Roberts.
Trent Thornton came in for the 9th and struck out the last 2 batters for the first save of his Tar Heel career. Tate got the win for his big bases loaded out in the 4th and in addition to clinching the series, the victory pushed the Heels' victory to 28-2 on the season.Â
Over the course of the 2010s there was nowhere the Heels had a harder time playing than Miami. In 2010 we got swept, in 2012 we got swept, in 2014 we lost 2 of 3, and in 2016 we got swept so when we headed to Coral Gables in 2018 we were 1-11 there for the decade.
The series opener on April 6, 2018 got off to a good start for the Heels. With an out in the 2nd, Ashton McGee bunted for a single, and Ike Freeman and Kip Brandenburg each drew walks to load the bases. Dallas Tessar singled to left to bring in McGee and Freeman and just like that the Heels led 2-0.
After that the Miami pitching really settled in and from the 3rd to the 6th the Heels managed only one hit, a single by Freeman. The Canes scored a pair in the 3rd to tie it up and then got another one in the 6th to take a 3-2 lead.
With an out in the 7th, Brandon Martorano pinch hit and drew a walk. Dylan Enwiller pinch ran and immediately stole 2nd, and he came around on a Clemente Inclan single to center to tie up the game at three runs.
From there the big story for the Heels was the bullpen. Brett Daniels came on and got the last out of the 6th and threw a scoreless 7th and 8th as well without giving up a hit.
In the 8th the Heels loaded the bases with one out when Zack Gahagan got hit by a pitch, Ashton McGee singled him over, and Ike Freeman drew a walk. But they weren't able to score- this had been a hallmark of the decade of frustration in Miami- lots of close games, lots of opportunities, just never quite converting.
Josh Hiatt came in for Brett in the 9th and got through that frame and the 10th without allowing any Canes into scoring position. In the top of the 11th came an unexpected hero- Josh Ladowski. Josh only had 13 hits in his Tar Heel career but he got a big one here, tripling to right field. Cody Roberts squeezed him in and the Heels led 4-3.
One of the most excruciating games of the last decade for me came in Miami in 2014 when the Heels took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 16th inning, only to give up a pair of runs and lose in the bottom of the inning.
After the bottom of the 11th it seemed like we could be cursed for a similar fate. The Canes got the lead runner on with an error, bunted him over, singled him in, and just like that the lead we'd achieved in extra innings was gone.
Then the script flipped. Kyle Datres hit a leadoff double on the very first pitch of the 12th, and moved to 3rd on a single by Brandon Riley. That brought up Zack Gahagan and he hit the first pitch he saw into center to score Kyle and give the Heels the lead back at 5-4.Â
With one out, Ike Freeman reached on a fly ball that got dropped to load the bases and Ben Casparius singled between 3rd and 2nd to bring in Brandon and make it 6-4.
That brought back up Josh Ladowski and he got perhaps the second biggest hit of his career an inning after getting the biggest one, doubling to right to bring in Gahagan and Freeman and make it 8-4.
Given the decades of struggles in Miami we were still waiting for something bad to happen in the bottom of the 12th but Josh Hiatt quickly dispelled that notion with a 1-2-3 inning where he struck out two to close it out. He got a well deserved win for his four-inning outing where he struck out six and allowed just two hits.
That game- 4 hours and 40 minutes- paved the way for a somewhat easier Heels victory the next day and our first series win in Coral Gables since 2008.
A couple quick hits for April 6th:
-Speaking of 2008, the Heels remarkably didn't lose an ACC series that whole season. On this day they beat Georgia Tech 10-4 in Cary to clinch the series. Kyle Seager led the way with 3 hits, including a double, and drove in 3 runs. Tim Fedroff (including a double), Chad Flack (driving in a pair of runs), and Mark Fleury all had multi hit games as well.Â
Adam Warren got the win but Brian Moran was the pitching star. He came in with a runner on 2nd and one out in the 6th with the Heels up 6-3 and struck out the first 2 hitters he faced, then added 1-2-3 efforts in the 7th and 8th. He retired all eight hitters he faced, and struck out six of them.Â
-Speaking of the Moran family, we go to 2014 for a good Tar Heel family story. Brian and Colin Moran have both already appeared in today's round up. I want to talk about that family's loyalty to this program.Â
In 2014 we played at Boston College this weekend. Brian and Colin's parents live in New York but the Saturday of that series- even though neither son was on the team anymore- they drove 362 miles round trip to BC for the game. It was really awesome to see them and when we left the game that day I was sad thinking about how long it might be until I saw them again.
They drove 362 miles round trip to BC to see us play again the next day! And it was a good day for the Heels, as they beat the Eagles 12-2 to win the series. Seven Heels had multiple hits. Parks Jordan (with a double and 3 RBI) and Michael Russell (with a double and 3 runs) led the way with 3 each and Korey Dunbar, Adrian Chacon, Landon Lassiter, and Wood Myers all had a pair as well. Zac Gallen started and got the win with 5 solid innings and Reilly Hovis was especially impressive in relief, throwing four innings of scoreless, hitless ball to close out the game and earn the save.
724 miles of driving in 2 days to support a team your kids don't play on anymore. That's what being a Tar Heel is all about.Â
Players Mentioned
OF/1B
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
3B
/ Baseball
OF/2B/SS
/ Baseball
SS/2B
/ Baseball
1B/3B/2B
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B/3B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF/2B/3B
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
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