University of North Carolina Athletics
Ashton McGee
Photo by: Joe Bray
This Day In Tar Heel Baseball History: May 8
May 8, 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
May 8
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2010 and 2011 for a series clinching win against Wake Forest at the Bosh due to a strong tag team outing on the mound by Chris Munnelly and Colin Bates and to finish off a sweep against Maryland thanks to a monster day from Colin Moran. Plus quick hits from 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2018.
On May 8, 2010 the Heels were coming off an 18-5 win over the Demon Deacons in the opener and trying to clinch the series on Saturday. The team was still on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and needed all the wins it could get.
Chris Munnelly started for the Heels and he set a good tone for the day by striking out the side in the first inning. He got another pair of strikeouts in a scoreless 2nd as well.
The Heels got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd. With 2 outs Ryan Graepel reached on an error. Then Tommy Coyle reached on an error. And then Jacob Stallings reached on an error that also brought Ryan around to score. It wasn't the prettiest run ever but it gave the Heels a 1-0 lead.
Wake hit a solo home run in the 3rd to tie but in the bottom half of the inning Levi Michael hit his own solo home run to put the Heels right back up 2-1.
Another home run for the Deacs tied the game in the 4th, and after that they got 2 more runners on base with nobody out. But Chris got a FC and then a double play to end the inning when he struck out future big leaguer Mac Williamson and Jacob Stallings threw out the runner on 1st trying to steal 2nd.
After that Chris settled back in. He threw a 1-2-3 5th, threw a scoreless 6th where he got another couple of strikeouts, and got the first couple outs in the 7th before turning the ball over to Colin Bates. It was one of the best outings of Chris' freshman year- 6.2 innings, 8 strikeouts, and just the pair of solo home runs doing any real damage. He deserved the win for his efforts but he left the game still tied at 2 and got a no decision.Â
Colin got the last out of the 7th and in the bottom of the inning the Heels bats finally broke through. Tommy Coyle hit a leadoff single and Jacob Stallings doubled to bring him home and make it 3-2. Jacob ended up on 3rd with 2 down and Wake decided to issue an intentional pass to Levi Michael. That ended up being a mistake.
With runners on the corners Coach Jesse Wierzbicki hit a ball to short that the fielder couldn't handle, allowing Jacob to score to make it 4-2 and again leaving runners on the corners. That brought up Brian Goodwin and he tripled to right, bringing around both Levi and Wierz and expanding the Heels lead to 6-2.
Colin threw a scoreless 8th and in the bottom half the bats got started again. Tommy Coyle tripled down the right field line and Jacob Stallings laid down a squeeze bunt- the Deacs threw home to try to get Tommy but he was safe and the lead grew to 7-2.
Colin came back out for the 9th and threw another scoreless inning to close it out. He got the win for his 2.1 innings of scoreless work, his 5th of the season.
After getting swept at Miami in April the Heels had stood at 6–12 in ACC play and looked like they would be watching from home in June. But this win made it 4 wins in 5 ACC games to push the record at least up to 10-13 and prospects for getting on the right side of the bubble were looking up.Â
Tommy Coyle (including a triple and 2 runs) and Ryan Graepel each had a pair of hits to lead the way for the Heels. Brian Goodwin (a triple) and Jacob Stallings (a double) each had an extra base hit and drove in a pair of runs.
On May 8, 2011 the Heels already had the series win against Maryland and were trying to complete the sweep in hopes of beefing up their resume for getting a national seed.
Chris Munnelly was on the hill that day too. He threw a scoreless 1st and struck out a pair in a scoreless 3rd, just allowing a solo home run in the 2nd.
Tom Zengel worked a full count to lead off the 3rd and then drew a walk. After an out, Tommy Coyle drew a walk of his own and then Levi Michael singled to load the basesÂ
That brought up Colin Moran and as he did most of the time during his Carolina career he delivered, singling to bring in Tom and tie up the game. Coach Jesse Wierzbicki followed with a sac fly to score Tommy and give the Heels a 2-1 lead.
Chris threw a scoreless 4th before another Terp home run in the 5th put them back on top 3-2.Â
In the bottom of the 5th the Heels blew the game open. Colin Moran got things started with a 2 out single and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch. Wierz singled to bring him in and tie the game up again. Ben Bunting singled to put runners on the corners, and moved up to 2nd on a wild pitch.
That put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 down and Jacob Stallings at the plate. He hit the ball to 3rd and the Maryland fielder threw it away, allowing both Colin and Wierz to score and give the Heels a 5-3 advantage.
Seth Baldwin drew a 4 pitch walk. And Tom Zengel drew a 4 pitch walk to load the bases. Chaz Frank got hit by a pitch to bring Jacob home and make it 6-3.
Maryland got one back in the top of the 6th and still had a couple runners on with 1 out. R.C. Orlan came in and struck out the only batter he faced and then Andrew Smith came in and got a strikeout of his own to end the threat.
Smitty also threw a 1-2-3 7th and got the first out of the 8th before giving way to Tate Parrish. Tate got the second out of the inning and then Shane Taylor came in with a runner on 2nd and struck out the batter on 3 pitches to end the inning.
Colin Moran went deep leading off the 8th inning to make it 7-4. Jesse Wierzbicki reached on an error and then stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a groundout, and came around to score on a Jacob Stallings sac fly to get another.
Michael Morin came in with a couple runners on base and nobody out in the 9th. He struck out the first batter he faced and then gave up a single that loaded the bases. No worries- he got a line out and a grounder to finish off the 8-4 win and earn his 4th save of the season. Chris Munnelly got the win for his 5.1 innings of work as the starter.
The Heels had gotten off to a 12-3 start in conference play, then lost 5 games in a row. With the sweep of Maryland they were back on a 4 game winning streak, 16-8 in conference, and on track again for the possibility of hosting all the way to Omaha.
Colin Moran led the way for the Heels with 4 hits, including a home run and a double, both driving in and scoring a pair of runs. Tommy Coyle also had a pair of hits, and Jesse Wierzbicki drove in a pair of runs.
And quick hits from 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2018:
-In 2007 the Heels went to Elon and won 9-0. Adam Warren started and threw 6.1 scoreless innings where he allowed only 3 hits, pushing his record for the season to 9-0. Rob Wooten got 2 outs with the bases loaded to close out the 7th, B.J. Dail threw a scoreless 8th, and Tyler Trice tossed a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.
Dustin Ackley had 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs. Seth Williams (including a home run and a double and a pair each of runs driven in and scored) and Chad Flack (including a home run and 2 runs) each had a pair of hits. Tim Federowicz also had a hit and drove in a couple runs.
-In 2012 the Heels beat UNC-Wilmington 4-2. Brian Holberton came off the bench and hit a pair of triples, and Colin Moran had a couple hits as well and drove in a run. Tommy Coyle had a hit and scored a couple runs and Adam Griffin drove in a pair and scored one.
It was a staff day on the mound. Benton Moss started and threw 3 scoreless innings and got his 5th win of the season. Kent Emanuel threw 1.1 scoreless and had a couple strikeouts, Chris McCue threw a scoreless inning and had a couple strikeouts, Tate Parrish retired both hitters he faced, and Michael Morin got his 14th save of the year for a 1-2-3 9th.
-In 2013 the Heels beat James Madison 6-1 in a rain shortened game. Chris Munnelly started the game and got the win for 5 innings where he struck out 6 and allowed only 2 hits. The fact that he started on this exact date 3 out of 4 seasons he was at Carolina shows what a persistent contributor he was to the Heels' success those years! The win pushed his record on the season to 5-0. Reilly Hovis threw a scoreless 6th to close it out.
Michael Russell led the way on offense with 3 hits, driving in a pair and scoring a run. Chaz Frank (including a double) and Landon Lassiter each had a pair of hits. Parks Jordan also had a double and drove in a pair of runs. The win made the Heels 44-4 for the season.
-In 2018 the Heels beat Richmond 6-2. Brandon Martorano (scoring a couple runs) and Brandon Riley each had a pair of hits. Kyle Datres, Ashton McGee, and Jackson Hesterlee each singled and drove in a run and Zack Gahagan singled and scored one.
Caden O'Brien got the win for 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, pushing his record to 5-0 on the season. Joey Lancellotti and Josh Hiatt each threw a scoreless inning and Brett Daniels closed it out with a 1-2-3 9th where he struck out a pair of Spiders. Although he ended up with a no decision Rodney Hutchison threw 4.2 solid innings and struck out 4 to start the game.Â
May 8
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2010 and 2011 for a series clinching win against Wake Forest at the Bosh due to a strong tag team outing on the mound by Chris Munnelly and Colin Bates and to finish off a sweep against Maryland thanks to a monster day from Colin Moran. Plus quick hits from 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2018.
On May 8, 2010 the Heels were coming off an 18-5 win over the Demon Deacons in the opener and trying to clinch the series on Saturday. The team was still on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and needed all the wins it could get.
Chris Munnelly started for the Heels and he set a good tone for the day by striking out the side in the first inning. He got another pair of strikeouts in a scoreless 2nd as well.
The Heels got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd. With 2 outs Ryan Graepel reached on an error. Then Tommy Coyle reached on an error. And then Jacob Stallings reached on an error that also brought Ryan around to score. It wasn't the prettiest run ever but it gave the Heels a 1-0 lead.
Wake hit a solo home run in the 3rd to tie but in the bottom half of the inning Levi Michael hit his own solo home run to put the Heels right back up 2-1.
Another home run for the Deacs tied the game in the 4th, and after that they got 2 more runners on base with nobody out. But Chris got a FC and then a double play to end the inning when he struck out future big leaguer Mac Williamson and Jacob Stallings threw out the runner on 1st trying to steal 2nd.
After that Chris settled back in. He threw a 1-2-3 5th, threw a scoreless 6th where he got another couple of strikeouts, and got the first couple outs in the 7th before turning the ball over to Colin Bates. It was one of the best outings of Chris' freshman year- 6.2 innings, 8 strikeouts, and just the pair of solo home runs doing any real damage. He deserved the win for his efforts but he left the game still tied at 2 and got a no decision.Â
Colin got the last out of the 7th and in the bottom of the inning the Heels bats finally broke through. Tommy Coyle hit a leadoff single and Jacob Stallings doubled to bring him home and make it 3-2. Jacob ended up on 3rd with 2 down and Wake decided to issue an intentional pass to Levi Michael. That ended up being a mistake.
With runners on the corners Coach Jesse Wierzbicki hit a ball to short that the fielder couldn't handle, allowing Jacob to score to make it 4-2 and again leaving runners on the corners. That brought up Brian Goodwin and he tripled to right, bringing around both Levi and Wierz and expanding the Heels lead to 6-2.
Colin threw a scoreless 8th and in the bottom half the bats got started again. Tommy Coyle tripled down the right field line and Jacob Stallings laid down a squeeze bunt- the Deacs threw home to try to get Tommy but he was safe and the lead grew to 7-2.
Colin came back out for the 9th and threw another scoreless inning to close it out. He got the win for his 2.1 innings of scoreless work, his 5th of the season.
After getting swept at Miami in April the Heels had stood at 6–12 in ACC play and looked like they would be watching from home in June. But this win made it 4 wins in 5 ACC games to push the record at least up to 10-13 and prospects for getting on the right side of the bubble were looking up.Â
Tommy Coyle (including a triple and 2 runs) and Ryan Graepel each had a pair of hits to lead the way for the Heels. Brian Goodwin (a triple) and Jacob Stallings (a double) each had an extra base hit and drove in a pair of runs.
On May 8, 2011 the Heels already had the series win against Maryland and were trying to complete the sweep in hopes of beefing up their resume for getting a national seed.
Chris Munnelly was on the hill that day too. He threw a scoreless 1st and struck out a pair in a scoreless 3rd, just allowing a solo home run in the 2nd.
Tom Zengel worked a full count to lead off the 3rd and then drew a walk. After an out, Tommy Coyle drew a walk of his own and then Levi Michael singled to load the basesÂ
That brought up Colin Moran and as he did most of the time during his Carolina career he delivered, singling to bring in Tom and tie up the game. Coach Jesse Wierzbicki followed with a sac fly to score Tommy and give the Heels a 2-1 lead.
Chris threw a scoreless 4th before another Terp home run in the 5th put them back on top 3-2.Â
In the bottom of the 5th the Heels blew the game open. Colin Moran got things started with a 2 out single and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch. Wierz singled to bring him in and tie the game up again. Ben Bunting singled to put runners on the corners, and moved up to 2nd on a wild pitch.
That put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 down and Jacob Stallings at the plate. He hit the ball to 3rd and the Maryland fielder threw it away, allowing both Colin and Wierz to score and give the Heels a 5-3 advantage.
Seth Baldwin drew a 4 pitch walk. And Tom Zengel drew a 4 pitch walk to load the bases. Chaz Frank got hit by a pitch to bring Jacob home and make it 6-3.
Maryland got one back in the top of the 6th and still had a couple runners on with 1 out. R.C. Orlan came in and struck out the only batter he faced and then Andrew Smith came in and got a strikeout of his own to end the threat.
Smitty also threw a 1-2-3 7th and got the first out of the 8th before giving way to Tate Parrish. Tate got the second out of the inning and then Shane Taylor came in with a runner on 2nd and struck out the batter on 3 pitches to end the inning.
Colin Moran went deep leading off the 8th inning to make it 7-4. Jesse Wierzbicki reached on an error and then stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a groundout, and came around to score on a Jacob Stallings sac fly to get another.
Michael Morin came in with a couple runners on base and nobody out in the 9th. He struck out the first batter he faced and then gave up a single that loaded the bases. No worries- he got a line out and a grounder to finish off the 8-4 win and earn his 4th save of the season. Chris Munnelly got the win for his 5.1 innings of work as the starter.
The Heels had gotten off to a 12-3 start in conference play, then lost 5 games in a row. With the sweep of Maryland they were back on a 4 game winning streak, 16-8 in conference, and on track again for the possibility of hosting all the way to Omaha.
Colin Moran led the way for the Heels with 4 hits, including a home run and a double, both driving in and scoring a pair of runs. Tommy Coyle also had a pair of hits, and Jesse Wierzbicki drove in a pair of runs.
And quick hits from 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2018:
-In 2007 the Heels went to Elon and won 9-0. Adam Warren started and threw 6.1 scoreless innings where he allowed only 3 hits, pushing his record for the season to 9-0. Rob Wooten got 2 outs with the bases loaded to close out the 7th, B.J. Dail threw a scoreless 8th, and Tyler Trice tossed a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.
Dustin Ackley had 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs. Seth Williams (including a home run and a double and a pair each of runs driven in and scored) and Chad Flack (including a home run and 2 runs) each had a pair of hits. Tim Federowicz also had a hit and drove in a couple runs.
-In 2012 the Heels beat UNC-Wilmington 4-2. Brian Holberton came off the bench and hit a pair of triples, and Colin Moran had a couple hits as well and drove in a run. Tommy Coyle had a hit and scored a couple runs and Adam Griffin drove in a pair and scored one.
It was a staff day on the mound. Benton Moss started and threw 3 scoreless innings and got his 5th win of the season. Kent Emanuel threw 1.1 scoreless and had a couple strikeouts, Chris McCue threw a scoreless inning and had a couple strikeouts, Tate Parrish retired both hitters he faced, and Michael Morin got his 14th save of the year for a 1-2-3 9th.
-In 2013 the Heels beat James Madison 6-1 in a rain shortened game. Chris Munnelly started the game and got the win for 5 innings where he struck out 6 and allowed only 2 hits. The fact that he started on this exact date 3 out of 4 seasons he was at Carolina shows what a persistent contributor he was to the Heels' success those years! The win pushed his record on the season to 5-0. Reilly Hovis threw a scoreless 6th to close it out.
Michael Russell led the way on offense with 3 hits, driving in a pair and scoring a run. Chaz Frank (including a double) and Landon Lassiter each had a pair of hits. Parks Jordan also had a double and drove in a pair of runs. The win made the Heels 44-4 for the season.
-In 2018 the Heels beat Richmond 6-2. Brandon Martorano (scoring a couple runs) and Brandon Riley each had a pair of hits. Kyle Datres, Ashton McGee, and Jackson Hesterlee each singled and drove in a run and Zack Gahagan singled and scored one.
Caden O'Brien got the win for 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, pushing his record to 5-0 on the season. Joey Lancellotti and Josh Hiatt each threw a scoreless inning and Brett Daniels closed it out with a 1-2-3 9th where he struck out a pair of Spiders. Although he ended up with a no decision Rodney Hutchison threw 4.2 solid innings and struck out 4 to start the game.Â
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