University of North Carolina Athletics
Skye Bolt homered in the 2014 N.C. State game
Photo by: Joe Bray
This Day In Tar Heel Baseball History: May 20
May 20, 2020 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina looks at "On This Day in Tar Heel History", as Tom Jensen shares his memories as an avid Tar Heel fan and regular at Boshamer Stadium.
May 20
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2006 and 2014 for a Coastal Division clincher on the last day of the regular season and a 3rd dramatic ACC Tournament win over NC State in as many years. Plus quick hits from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017.
On May 20, 2006 the Heels came into the last day of the regular season with a 1 game lead over Virginia in the Coastal Division. The Hoos had won the head to head series so if it ended up being a tie they were going to win the tiebreaker. The Heels needed to win outright.
Daniel Bard set the tone with a scoreless 1st, punctuated with a 3 pitch swinging strikeout. In the bottom of the inning Mike Cavasinni hit a leadoff single, went to 2nd on a balk, and came around on a single by Kyle Shelton. 1-0.
Daniel threw a 1-2-3 2nd. In the bottom half Reid Fronk hit a 2 out single. Then Seth Williams hit his own single. And Mike Cavasinni made it three in a row, bringing home Reid to make it 2-0.
Daniel threw a scoreless 3rd and in the bottom of the inning Chad Flack knocked one out of the park to left center for a solo shot to put the Heels up 3-0.
Daniel threw a scoreless 4th, gave up a single run in the 5th, and threw a scoreless 6th. The Eagles got a fair number of base runners, but for the most part he got the outs when he needed them to keep runs off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the 6th Jay Cox walked and Benji Johnson reached on an error. Reid Fronk bunted them over and Seth Williams hit a sac fly to score Jay and make it 4-1.
Daniel finished his regular season career at the Bosh with a scoreless 7th. He went 7 innings and allowed only 5 hits, pushing his season record to 7-3.
Matt Danford came on and threw a scoreless 8th and in the bottom half the Heels had one last rally in them. Tim Federowicz singled and Matt McNichol pinch ran for him and stole 2nd. Jay Cox singled to move him up to 3rd and a successful squeeze bunt by Benji Johnson brought Matt in and made it 5-1.
Andrew Carignan came in for the 9th and shut it down, as he did most of the time that year. He got a couple of strikeouts and then a groundout to end the game. The Heels came into the final weekend one game ahead of Virginia. The Hoos swept Virginia Tech. But the Heels swept Boston College too, and that made them the first ever Coastal Division champions. They finished the regular season 45–11 overall and 22-8 in ACC play.
Mike Cavasinni (including an RBI and a run) and Tim Federowicz each had a pair of hits for the Heels. Chad Flack hit a solo shot, Kyle Shelton and Seth Williams each singled and drove in a run, Reid Fronk and Jay Cox each singled and scored a run, and Josh Horton had the other hit for the Heels.
On May 20, 2014 the Heels found themselves on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and in a must win ACC Tournament play in game...against NC State, which was also fighting for its NCAA Tournament life. The Heels and Pack had played epic Saturday night games in the tournament the previous two years, both won in extra innings by the Heels. This time around they faced off on A Tuesday morning.
The Pack got a quick 1-0 lead in the 1st. But Reilly Hovis threw a 1-2-3 2nd and in the bottom of the inning Skye Bolt made a solo home run to tie up the game.
Reilly threw another 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd and in the bottom of the inning the Heels made their big rally. Korey Dunbar singled with 1 out. That brought Michael Russell up to the plate.
Our 2014 team struggled, at least by what had become the standards for the program. But it had one bona fide star in the every day lineup and that was Michael Russell. He hit .339 for the season with 26 extra base hits and an OPS of .920. That was 146 points higher than anyone else on the team and it's pretty unusual for someone to have that much better of a year than everyone else.
Michael also had swagger. When the Heels and State rivalry peaked he got in a Twitter feud with Country star and Pack backer Scotty McCreery, who figured heavily in Bojangles' marketing at the time, including their tray liners. After the Heels beat the Pack in 18 innings the previous year Michael informed Scotty that he had celebrated the win at Bojangles and that at the end of the meal, 'I threw away your face,' 100% the best moment in the history of Diamond Heel social media. It is the Chad Flack home run against Alabama of UNC Baseball players on the Internet.
Michael is a super nice guy too though. I went up to see him and Benton Moss play a couple times during the summer of 2015 in rookie ball in Wappingers Falls, New York. That's a situation where a lot of teenagers from Latin America are away from home- and *really* far from home for the first time and don't have much money.
There were several players Michael made a point of driving home after games because they didn't have cars. He didn't have to do that but that's the kind of person he is. Which is not surprising if you know his parents Suzanne and John, who are two of the nicest people in the world.
But anyway Michael was good at talking trash to State- and he could also back it up on the field. Here he tripled to score Korey and give the Heels a 2-1 lead. Wood Myers singled to bring Michael home and make it 3-1, Landon Lassiter doubled to put 2 runners in scoring position, and Skye Bolt made a sac fly to score Wood and give the Heels a 4-1 advantage.
State got a couple runs back in the 4th to make it 4-3 but it could have been a lot worse. Zach Rice came in with the bases loaded and just 1 out and had perhaps the biggest moment of his Tar Heel career, striking out both hitters he faced to end the inning and preserve the Heels' lead.
That was the story for the rest of the day. The Heels got themselves in plenty of trouble. But they just kept getting themselves out of it too. In the 5th the Pack loaded the bases with nobody out and it seemed certain they would tie or retake the lead. But Trevor Kelley came in and got a foulout from future big leaguer Andrew Knizner on the first pitch he threw, then struck out Jake Fincher.
The always fearsome Trea Turner then tried to steal home but he was called out to end the inning and who am I to question the umpire about whether that call was correct or not. The Heels held on to their lead.
The Wolfpack got a couple runners on base with 2 outs in the 6th, bringing Turner to the plate. Spencer Trayner came in for the Heels and got him to hit the first pitch to Landon Lassiter at 3rd who stepped on the bag to end the inning. Spencer followed up that big out by striking out the side in the 7th.
In the 8th the Wolfpack got runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out and it once again seemed inevitable that the Heels wouldn't be able to continue clinging to their 1 run lead. But Trent Thornton came in and got a strike out on a full count. The next hitter fell behind 0-2, managed to foul off three pitches, and then Trent struck him out too.
Trea Turner got an intentional pass to load the bases. And Trent got a harmless flyball from Logan Ratledge to end the inning and once again keep the Heels on top 4-3.
That seemed to finally deflate the Wolfpack's spirit. It took 2 pitches for Trent to get Brett Austin to pop up in the 9th. It only took one pitch for Andrew Knizner to fly out. And it took 2 pitches to get Jake Fincher to fly out and give the Heels a 4-3 win. It only took Trent 5 pitches to retire the side in the 9th and earn his first save of the season.
For the third year in a row the Heels had a dramatic win over State in the ACC Tournament. And for the second year in a row the Wolfpack's season came to an end with a loss to the Heels. It marked the end of Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner's time in Raleigh, which was sort of the golden era of the UNC-State baseball rivalry. The games were almost universally intense. But at the end of the day the Heels won 7 of them and the Wolfpack only won 3. There wasn't much doubt whose state it was.
Zach Rice, Trevor Kelley, Spencer Trayner, and Trent Thornton were the heroes of the game for repeatedly stranding State runners when it seemed impossible that the Heels would be able to hold the lead. Zach got the official win.
Michael Russell had a pair of hits, including a double and the triple that put the Heels ahead for good. Skye Bolt made a home run and 2 RBI, Parks Jordan and Landon Lassiter each hit a double, Wood Myers singled and drove in and scored a run, Korey Dunbar singled and scored a run, and Tom Zengel had a single.
After pulling off that win the Heels got one of the last spots in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack watched it on TV.
And quick hits from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017:
-In 2009 the Heels kicked off the ACC Tournament with an 8-3 victory over Duke. Adam Warren threw 8.1 solid innings for the win and struck out 7 and Colin Bates got the last 2 outs in the 9th.
Dustin Ackley led the way for the Heels with 3 hits, including a pair of home runs, driving in 4 and scoring a couple times. Kyle Seager also had 3 hits, including a triple and a pair of doubles, and drove in and scored a run. Ben Bunting (including a double and a run) and Garrett Gore (including a run) each had a pair of hits. Ryan Graepel singled and scored a run and Levi Michael singled and drove in a run.
For me the most memorable play of the game was Mike Cavasinni coming soooo close to hitting what would have been his only career home run. It hit just barely off the top of the wall and went for a triple instead. Cavi had a great career, hitting .287 with 194 hits, but I do wish he'd gotten that one home run at the DBAP.
-In 2010 the Heels were very much on the bubble heading into the last weekend of the regular season against Virginia Tech. They got things started right with a 13-6 win in the opener. Dillon Hazlett had 4 hits, scored 3 times, and drove in a pair. Brian Goodwin (including a home run and a double, 4 RBI, and 3 runs), Ryan Graepel (including a home run and a double, 4 RBI , and 2 runs), and Ben Bunting (including a double, an RBI, and a run) each had a pair of hits. Mike Cavasinni (including 2 runs), Levi Michael (including an RBI and a run), and Jacob Stallings had the other hits for the Heels.
Matt Harvey went 7.1 innings and struck out 7 to improve his record for the season to 7-3 in his final appearance at the Bosh. Coach Bryant Gaines and Zach Bernard got the final 2 outs of the 8th, and Greg Holt threw a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.
-In 2011 the Heels needed a series win over #1 Virginia at the Bosh if they wanted to be a national seed. They won the opener and on this day they clinched the series with a 2-1 win. The Heels fell behind 1-0 early before finally coming back to win it with 2 runs in the 8th.
Kent Emanuel started and threw 6 strong innings, striking out 7 and allowing only a pair of hits. Andrew Smith threw a scoreless 7th and got the first out of the 8th and then RC Orlan came in with a runner on 2nd and 1 out and stranded him there. He ended up getting the win, his first of the season.
Michael Morin came on and threw a scoreless 9th for his 7th save of the season, including a strikeout of future Dodgers star Chris Taylor and a groundout from future Tiger John Hicks to finish the game.
The Heels were down 1-0 in the 8th when Ben Bunting singled, Parks Jordan moved him to 2nd with a bunt, and he got to 3rd on a wild pitch. Chaz Frank drew a walk to put runners on the corners and Levi Michael singled to bring Ben home and tie the game and keep runners on the corners. A Colin Moran sac fly scored Chaz and gave the Heels their winning run. Tommy Coyle and Chaz Frank had the only 2 Heels hits outside that inning.
-In 2013 the Heels played a last second Monday night game against #8 Florida State at the Bosh in advance of the NCAA Tournament because Coach Fox and Coach Martin are friends and we hadn't played the Noles in several years.
The Heels won it 4-3 with a run in the 8th off Seminole reliever (and Heisman Trophy winner) Jameis Winston. Cody Stubbs struck out with 2 down in the inning...but he was able to reach 1st when the ball got away from the catcher. Michael Russell followed with a single to put runners on the corners, and on the very next pitch Brian Holberton singled to center to bring in what ended up being the game winning run. Pretty cool to get a clutch hit off the Heisman Trophy winner like that.
Trent Thornton came in with the bases loaded in the 7th inning of what was then a tied game, fell behind 3-0, but then got a fly out to end the threat. He followed that with a 1-2-3 8th, including a strikeout of Jameis, and a scoreless 9th with a strikeout to finish it. He got the win, making him 9-1 for his freshman season.
Chris Munnelly had started and had a solid outing, allowing just 1 run in 4 innings. Tate Parrish also got a key out against the one batter he faced, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out in the 7th.
Cody Stubbs (including a triple and 2 runs), Michael Russell (including a couple RBI), Skye Bolt (including an RBI and a run), and Chaz Frank (including a run) each had a pair of hits. The win finished the regular season at 48-8 for the Heels.
-In 2016 the Heels tied up the series against State in Raleigh with an offensive explosion, winning 16-4. Kyle Datres led the way with 4 hits, including a triple, scoring a pair of runs and driving one in. Tyler Ramirez had 3 hits, drove in 3 runs, and scored 2. Logan Warmoth (including a home run and a double, 4 RBI, and 3 runs), Brian Miller (including a triple, 3 runs, and 2 RBI), Zack Gahagan (including a double, 3 RBI, and a run), Adam Pate (including 3 runs), and Brandon Riley (including an RBI) each had a pair of hits. Wyatt Cross also doubled and drove in a run.
JB Bukauskas went 6 innings and struck out 9, pushing his record for the season to 7-2. AJ Bogucki threw 2 scoreless innings where he struck out 3, and Cole Aker had a 1-2-3 9th with a couple of strikeouts to close it out. The win gave the Heels a 34-20 record against one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
-Finally in 2017 the Heels beat Duke 9-7 at the Bosh to clinch the series and officially run the table in conference play- they won all 10 of their weekend series, finishing 23-7 in the ACC and 44-11 overall for the regular season. The Duke series win was especially impressive since the Heels had to come back after losing the opening game.
In his final regular season home game as a Heel Brian Miller had 4 hits and drove in and scored a run. Ashton McGee (including 2 RBI and a run) and Cody Roberts each had a pair of hits. Zack Gahagan hit a home run and scored 3 times, Brandon Riley tripled and drove in a pair of runs, Kyle Datres singled and drove in and scored a run, Logan Warmoth singled and scored a run, Michael Busch had a single, and Adam Pate drove in and scored a run on his Senior Day.
Luca Dalatri threw the first 5 innings and got the win. Josh Hiatt threw a scoreless 7th and 8th. Austin Bergner came in and extinguished a Duke threat in the 9th to get the first save of his Tar Heel career.
May 20
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2006 and 2014 for a Coastal Division clincher on the last day of the regular season and a 3rd dramatic ACC Tournament win over NC State in as many years. Plus quick hits from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017.
On May 20, 2006 the Heels came into the last day of the regular season with a 1 game lead over Virginia in the Coastal Division. The Hoos had won the head to head series so if it ended up being a tie they were going to win the tiebreaker. The Heels needed to win outright.
Daniel Bard set the tone with a scoreless 1st, punctuated with a 3 pitch swinging strikeout. In the bottom of the inning Mike Cavasinni hit a leadoff single, went to 2nd on a balk, and came around on a single by Kyle Shelton. 1-0.
Daniel threw a 1-2-3 2nd. In the bottom half Reid Fronk hit a 2 out single. Then Seth Williams hit his own single. And Mike Cavasinni made it three in a row, bringing home Reid to make it 2-0.
Daniel threw a scoreless 3rd and in the bottom of the inning Chad Flack knocked one out of the park to left center for a solo shot to put the Heels up 3-0.
Daniel threw a scoreless 4th, gave up a single run in the 5th, and threw a scoreless 6th. The Eagles got a fair number of base runners, but for the most part he got the outs when he needed them to keep runs off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the 6th Jay Cox walked and Benji Johnson reached on an error. Reid Fronk bunted them over and Seth Williams hit a sac fly to score Jay and make it 4-1.
Daniel finished his regular season career at the Bosh with a scoreless 7th. He went 7 innings and allowed only 5 hits, pushing his season record to 7-3.
Matt Danford came on and threw a scoreless 8th and in the bottom half the Heels had one last rally in them. Tim Federowicz singled and Matt McNichol pinch ran for him and stole 2nd. Jay Cox singled to move him up to 3rd and a successful squeeze bunt by Benji Johnson brought Matt in and made it 5-1.
Andrew Carignan came in for the 9th and shut it down, as he did most of the time that year. He got a couple of strikeouts and then a groundout to end the game. The Heels came into the final weekend one game ahead of Virginia. The Hoos swept Virginia Tech. But the Heels swept Boston College too, and that made them the first ever Coastal Division champions. They finished the regular season 45–11 overall and 22-8 in ACC play.
Mike Cavasinni (including an RBI and a run) and Tim Federowicz each had a pair of hits for the Heels. Chad Flack hit a solo shot, Kyle Shelton and Seth Williams each singled and drove in a run, Reid Fronk and Jay Cox each singled and scored a run, and Josh Horton had the other hit for the Heels.
On May 20, 2014 the Heels found themselves on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and in a must win ACC Tournament play in game...against NC State, which was also fighting for its NCAA Tournament life. The Heels and Pack had played epic Saturday night games in the tournament the previous two years, both won in extra innings by the Heels. This time around they faced off on A Tuesday morning.
The Pack got a quick 1-0 lead in the 1st. But Reilly Hovis threw a 1-2-3 2nd and in the bottom of the inning Skye Bolt made a solo home run to tie up the game.
Reilly threw another 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd and in the bottom of the inning the Heels made their big rally. Korey Dunbar singled with 1 out. That brought Michael Russell up to the plate.
Our 2014 team struggled, at least by what had become the standards for the program. But it had one bona fide star in the every day lineup and that was Michael Russell. He hit .339 for the season with 26 extra base hits and an OPS of .920. That was 146 points higher than anyone else on the team and it's pretty unusual for someone to have that much better of a year than everyone else.
Michael also had swagger. When the Heels and State rivalry peaked he got in a Twitter feud with Country star and Pack backer Scotty McCreery, who figured heavily in Bojangles' marketing at the time, including their tray liners. After the Heels beat the Pack in 18 innings the previous year Michael informed Scotty that he had celebrated the win at Bojangles and that at the end of the meal, 'I threw away your face,' 100% the best moment in the history of Diamond Heel social media. It is the Chad Flack home run against Alabama of UNC Baseball players on the Internet.
Michael is a super nice guy too though. I went up to see him and Benton Moss play a couple times during the summer of 2015 in rookie ball in Wappingers Falls, New York. That's a situation where a lot of teenagers from Latin America are away from home- and *really* far from home for the first time and don't have much money.
There were several players Michael made a point of driving home after games because they didn't have cars. He didn't have to do that but that's the kind of person he is. Which is not surprising if you know his parents Suzanne and John, who are two of the nicest people in the world.
But anyway Michael was good at talking trash to State- and he could also back it up on the field. Here he tripled to score Korey and give the Heels a 2-1 lead. Wood Myers singled to bring Michael home and make it 3-1, Landon Lassiter doubled to put 2 runners in scoring position, and Skye Bolt made a sac fly to score Wood and give the Heels a 4-1 advantage.
State got a couple runs back in the 4th to make it 4-3 but it could have been a lot worse. Zach Rice came in with the bases loaded and just 1 out and had perhaps the biggest moment of his Tar Heel career, striking out both hitters he faced to end the inning and preserve the Heels' lead.
That was the story for the rest of the day. The Heels got themselves in plenty of trouble. But they just kept getting themselves out of it too. In the 5th the Pack loaded the bases with nobody out and it seemed certain they would tie or retake the lead. But Trevor Kelley came in and got a foulout from future big leaguer Andrew Knizner on the first pitch he threw, then struck out Jake Fincher.
The always fearsome Trea Turner then tried to steal home but he was called out to end the inning and who am I to question the umpire about whether that call was correct or not. The Heels held on to their lead.
The Wolfpack got a couple runners on base with 2 outs in the 6th, bringing Turner to the plate. Spencer Trayner came in for the Heels and got him to hit the first pitch to Landon Lassiter at 3rd who stepped on the bag to end the inning. Spencer followed up that big out by striking out the side in the 7th.
In the 8th the Wolfpack got runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out and it once again seemed inevitable that the Heels wouldn't be able to continue clinging to their 1 run lead. But Trent Thornton came in and got a strike out on a full count. The next hitter fell behind 0-2, managed to foul off three pitches, and then Trent struck him out too.
Trea Turner got an intentional pass to load the bases. And Trent got a harmless flyball from Logan Ratledge to end the inning and once again keep the Heels on top 4-3.
That seemed to finally deflate the Wolfpack's spirit. It took 2 pitches for Trent to get Brett Austin to pop up in the 9th. It only took one pitch for Andrew Knizner to fly out. And it took 2 pitches to get Jake Fincher to fly out and give the Heels a 4-3 win. It only took Trent 5 pitches to retire the side in the 9th and earn his first save of the season.
For the third year in a row the Heels had a dramatic win over State in the ACC Tournament. And for the second year in a row the Wolfpack's season came to an end with a loss to the Heels. It marked the end of Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner's time in Raleigh, which was sort of the golden era of the UNC-State baseball rivalry. The games were almost universally intense. But at the end of the day the Heels won 7 of them and the Wolfpack only won 3. There wasn't much doubt whose state it was.
Zach Rice, Trevor Kelley, Spencer Trayner, and Trent Thornton were the heroes of the game for repeatedly stranding State runners when it seemed impossible that the Heels would be able to hold the lead. Zach got the official win.
Michael Russell had a pair of hits, including a double and the triple that put the Heels ahead for good. Skye Bolt made a home run and 2 RBI, Parks Jordan and Landon Lassiter each hit a double, Wood Myers singled and drove in and scored a run, Korey Dunbar singled and scored a run, and Tom Zengel had a single.
After pulling off that win the Heels got one of the last spots in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack watched it on TV.
And quick hits from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017:
-In 2009 the Heels kicked off the ACC Tournament with an 8-3 victory over Duke. Adam Warren threw 8.1 solid innings for the win and struck out 7 and Colin Bates got the last 2 outs in the 9th.
Dustin Ackley led the way for the Heels with 3 hits, including a pair of home runs, driving in 4 and scoring a couple times. Kyle Seager also had 3 hits, including a triple and a pair of doubles, and drove in and scored a run. Ben Bunting (including a double and a run) and Garrett Gore (including a run) each had a pair of hits. Ryan Graepel singled and scored a run and Levi Michael singled and drove in a run.
For me the most memorable play of the game was Mike Cavasinni coming soooo close to hitting what would have been his only career home run. It hit just barely off the top of the wall and went for a triple instead. Cavi had a great career, hitting .287 with 194 hits, but I do wish he'd gotten that one home run at the DBAP.
-In 2010 the Heels were very much on the bubble heading into the last weekend of the regular season against Virginia Tech. They got things started right with a 13-6 win in the opener. Dillon Hazlett had 4 hits, scored 3 times, and drove in a pair. Brian Goodwin (including a home run and a double, 4 RBI, and 3 runs), Ryan Graepel (including a home run and a double, 4 RBI , and 2 runs), and Ben Bunting (including a double, an RBI, and a run) each had a pair of hits. Mike Cavasinni (including 2 runs), Levi Michael (including an RBI and a run), and Jacob Stallings had the other hits for the Heels.
Matt Harvey went 7.1 innings and struck out 7 to improve his record for the season to 7-3 in his final appearance at the Bosh. Coach Bryant Gaines and Zach Bernard got the final 2 outs of the 8th, and Greg Holt threw a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.
-In 2011 the Heels needed a series win over #1 Virginia at the Bosh if they wanted to be a national seed. They won the opener and on this day they clinched the series with a 2-1 win. The Heels fell behind 1-0 early before finally coming back to win it with 2 runs in the 8th.
Kent Emanuel started and threw 6 strong innings, striking out 7 and allowing only a pair of hits. Andrew Smith threw a scoreless 7th and got the first out of the 8th and then RC Orlan came in with a runner on 2nd and 1 out and stranded him there. He ended up getting the win, his first of the season.
Michael Morin came on and threw a scoreless 9th for his 7th save of the season, including a strikeout of future Dodgers star Chris Taylor and a groundout from future Tiger John Hicks to finish the game.
The Heels were down 1-0 in the 8th when Ben Bunting singled, Parks Jordan moved him to 2nd with a bunt, and he got to 3rd on a wild pitch. Chaz Frank drew a walk to put runners on the corners and Levi Michael singled to bring Ben home and tie the game and keep runners on the corners. A Colin Moran sac fly scored Chaz and gave the Heels their winning run. Tommy Coyle and Chaz Frank had the only 2 Heels hits outside that inning.
-In 2013 the Heels played a last second Monday night game against #8 Florida State at the Bosh in advance of the NCAA Tournament because Coach Fox and Coach Martin are friends and we hadn't played the Noles in several years.
The Heels won it 4-3 with a run in the 8th off Seminole reliever (and Heisman Trophy winner) Jameis Winston. Cody Stubbs struck out with 2 down in the inning...but he was able to reach 1st when the ball got away from the catcher. Michael Russell followed with a single to put runners on the corners, and on the very next pitch Brian Holberton singled to center to bring in what ended up being the game winning run. Pretty cool to get a clutch hit off the Heisman Trophy winner like that.
Trent Thornton came in with the bases loaded in the 7th inning of what was then a tied game, fell behind 3-0, but then got a fly out to end the threat. He followed that with a 1-2-3 8th, including a strikeout of Jameis, and a scoreless 9th with a strikeout to finish it. He got the win, making him 9-1 for his freshman season.
Chris Munnelly had started and had a solid outing, allowing just 1 run in 4 innings. Tate Parrish also got a key out against the one batter he faced, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out in the 7th.
Cody Stubbs (including a triple and 2 runs), Michael Russell (including a couple RBI), Skye Bolt (including an RBI and a run), and Chaz Frank (including a run) each had a pair of hits. The win finished the regular season at 48-8 for the Heels.
-In 2016 the Heels tied up the series against State in Raleigh with an offensive explosion, winning 16-4. Kyle Datres led the way with 4 hits, including a triple, scoring a pair of runs and driving one in. Tyler Ramirez had 3 hits, drove in 3 runs, and scored 2. Logan Warmoth (including a home run and a double, 4 RBI, and 3 runs), Brian Miller (including a triple, 3 runs, and 2 RBI), Zack Gahagan (including a double, 3 RBI, and a run), Adam Pate (including 3 runs), and Brandon Riley (including an RBI) each had a pair of hits. Wyatt Cross also doubled and drove in a run.
JB Bukauskas went 6 innings and struck out 9, pushing his record for the season to 7-2. AJ Bogucki threw 2 scoreless innings where he struck out 3, and Cole Aker had a 1-2-3 9th with a couple of strikeouts to close it out. The win gave the Heels a 34-20 record against one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
-Finally in 2017 the Heels beat Duke 9-7 at the Bosh to clinch the series and officially run the table in conference play- they won all 10 of their weekend series, finishing 23-7 in the ACC and 44-11 overall for the regular season. The Duke series win was especially impressive since the Heels had to come back after losing the opening game.
In his final regular season home game as a Heel Brian Miller had 4 hits and drove in and scored a run. Ashton McGee (including 2 RBI and a run) and Cody Roberts each had a pair of hits. Zack Gahagan hit a home run and scored 3 times, Brandon Riley tripled and drove in a pair of runs, Kyle Datres singled and drove in and scored a run, Logan Warmoth singled and scored a run, Michael Busch had a single, and Adam Pate drove in and scored a run on his Senior Day.
Luca Dalatri threw the first 5 innings and got the win. Josh Hiatt threw a scoreless 7th and 8th. Austin Bergner came in and extinguished a Duke threat in the 9th to get the first save of his Tar Heel career.
Players Mentioned
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