This Day In Tar Heel Baseball History: June 3

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.

June 3
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2013 and 2018 for the most insane baseball game I've ever attended and an offensive explosion after a rain delay in a regional final. Plus quick hits from 2006, 2011, 2012, and 2017.

On June 3, 2013 the Heels took on Florida Atlantic in a winner take all regional championship game. The Owls had won the night before to force a decisive game 7. We knew from the start of the night that it was going to be a long one- the game was supposed to start at 6 but didn't get underway until after 8 because of rain- but we had no idea just how long a night it would end up being.

Chris Munnelly started and threw a 1-2-3 1st and in the bottom of the inning the bats got right to it. Landon Lassiter singled and Colin Moran doubled to bring him around and quickly make it 1-0.

The Owls got a pair of runs in the 2nd to take the lead but the Heels quickly responded. Michael Russell and Skye Bolt singled to lead off the inning and Mike Zolk attempted to bunt them over and the ball was misplayed, loading the bases with no one out. A Chaz Frank sac fly brought Michael home and tied the game back up at 2.

FAU got a runner on 2nd with nobody out in the 3rd but he was still there at the end of the inning as Chris Munnelly retired the rest of the side in order, finishing the frame with a swinging strikeout.

In the bottom of the 3rd with 2 outs Cody Stubbs fell behind 0-2, fouled off a pitch, took a ball, and then singled up the middle to keep the inning alive. Michael Russell followed by working a walk to put two runners on. Skye Bolt made a single to right on the first pitch he saw to bring Cody around and move Michael to 3rd. And a wild pitch scored Michael to put the Heels up 4-2.

Trent Thornton came in with a runner on 1st and no one out in the 4th and struck out the first guy he faced and then got a double play to end the inning. He followed that up with a scoreless 5th. In the bottom of the inning Cody Stubbs once again got things going with a single, then Michael Russell got hit by a pitch. With 2 outs Mike Zolk came up and delivered a big single that brought Cody home and extended the lead to 5-2.

Trent threw a 1-2-3 6th, getting a strikeout to end the inning. He struck out a couple more guys in the 7th, allowing only a 2 out single. In the bottom of the inning Mike Zolk kept the Heels alive with a 2 out walk. Parks Jordan singled to move him to 2nd and Chaz Frank followed with another single to bring him home and give the Heels a 6-2 lead.

The Owls got back to back singles to lead off the 8th and Kent Emanuel came in to replace Trent. Trent had a great outing- 4 scoreless innings, 5 strikeouts. The first hitter Kent faced hit a grounder that moved both the runners into scoring position. But Kent got the next guy to pop out and the one after him to ground out and the runners stayed where they were while the Heels continued to hold their 6-2 lead.

But then the 9th inning was a complete disaster. Home run. 6-3. But then an out. Walk. Single. Walk. Bases Loaded. But then a strike out, bring the Heels within an out of victory. Walk. 6-4. Pitching change. Grand Slam. All the sudden the Heels found themselves down 8-6 and they were the ones 3 outs away from having their season end if they couldn't put some runs on the board.

Cody Stubbs- who else over that pair of weekends covering the ACC Tournament and the regional- hit a double to lead off the 9th. Michael Russell followed with a single to put runners on the corners. The next hitter struck out, and then Michael stole 2nd to put a pair of runners in scoring position- once again making something happen on the base paths.

That brought up Mike Zolk. He fell behind 0-2, then took a ball. And another ball. On the 5th pitch of the at bat he singled through the right side to bring in Cody and Michael and tie the game back up at 8.

Chris McCue came in for the 10th and threw a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts. The Heels didn't threaten in the bottom of the inning. Chris threw a 1-2-3 11th with another pair of strikeouts. The Heels got runners on 1st and 2nd in the bottom but couldn't bring them around.

The 12th was another disaster of an inning. HBP. Walk. Home Run. Owls lead 11-8. It felt like the best regular season in program history was going to unceremoniously end without even winning a regional.

But if there was one thing we learned about that team, it was that the game was never over. In the bottom of the 12th Landon Lassiter singled, Colin Moran walked, and Brian Holberton singled to load the bases with nobody out. Cody Stubbs walked. 11-9. Michael Russell walked. 11-10.

There was an out but then Mike Zolk came up with another huge hit, singling to left. Holbie came home to tie the game and Cody got sent home too but he was...out at the plate. Always a tough call there whether to just keep the bases loaded with 1 out and give yourself 2 shots to win it or send the guy around and force the other team to make a play- to FAU's credit they made a play to keep the game alive. The next Heel hitter couldn't bring another run around and the game moved on to the 13th.

Chris McCue got a strikeout to start the inning, gave up a double, then got a groundout before leaving the game. Even with the tough 12th Chris had it was a really huge performance to come in and take care of business in the 10th and 11th and most of the 13th. The first pitcher to relieve him walked the batter to put runners on the corners and Reilly Hovis came in in his place. Reilly struck out the only guy he faced to send the game on to the bottom of the 13th.

With 1 out Landon Lassiter singled. Colin Moran worked a full count, fouled off a pitch, and then got a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Brian Holberton got hit by a pitch to load the bases.

That brought up Cody Stubbs. He'd transferred in as a junior and his first year in Chapel Hill was ok but not great- .258 with a .750 OPS. He worked really hard and got acclimated to the level of play in the ACC though and his senior year he became a monster- .366 with a 1.029 OPS, driving in 76 runs in 71 games, getting over 100 hits which is very rare in college baseball, and getting 38 extra base hits. It was one of the best seasons hitting in program history.

What was especially notable about Cody's performance is that he seemed to have a knack for getting the big hits when they were needed the most. He'd won ACC Tournament MVP the weekend before because of that. He already had 3 hits and a key walk in this regional deciding game because of that.

He fouled off the first couple pitches to fall behind 0-2. He took a ball. He fouled off another pitch. And a little bit after 1 AM he lined a ball down the 3B line that would have probably cleared the bases if it needed to. But it just needed to score one. Landon came home to give the Heels a 13–12 win and an extremely hard fought regional championship.

In the 9th the Heels had to score 2 not to lose. They did it. In the 12th the Heels had to score 3 not to lose. They did it. Just like in the ACC Tournament the weekend before no matter how many times it seemed like it was over the sheer force of will of that team ensured it wasn't really over. The Heels moved on to a super regional at the Bosh against South Carolina the following weekend.

Reilly Hovis got the win for retiring the one guy he faced, making him 4-0 on the year. Cody Stubbs (including a double, 3 runs, and 2 RBI) and Landon Lassiter (including 3 runs) each had 4 hits. Cody got Regional MVP honors to go with this ACC Tournament MVP honors from the previous weekend. Mike Zolk also had a huge day reaching 5 times with 3 hits (2 of which tied the game when the Heels were down in the 9th and 12th) and 2 walks, driving in 4 runs, and scoring one.

Michael Russell also reached base 5 times on 3 walks and 2 hits, scoring 3 times and driving in a run. Brian Holberton (including a run), Skye Bolt (including an RBI), and Parks Jordan each had a pair of hits. Colin Moran doubled, walked 3 times, and drove in and scored a run and Chaz Frank had a hit and drove in a pair of runs to round out the hitting for the Heels. The win made them 55-9 for the season.

I ended up getting home from the game at about 3 AM- and this was a work night mind you- and I was so amped up I never could fall asleep before my 6:30 alarm. I'm sure a lot of Diamond Heels fans had a similar experience that day but I don't think any of us were too unhappy.

On June 3, 2018 the Heels faced off against Houston in the regional championship game in a slug fest that had a funny weather related twist at the end where the Cougars hoped a rain delay would have one result and it instead turned out having quite the opposite effect.

Austin Bergner started on the mound and threw a scoreless 1st. Kyle Datres led off the game for the Heels and went deep for a quick 1-0 lead.

The start of the game was pretty back and forth. The Cougars scored a pair of runs in the 2nd and another one in the 3rd to go ahead 3-1. But in the bottom of the 3rd the Heels struck back. Josh Ladowski doubled to lead off the inning and Kyle Datres singled to put runners on the corners. A Michael Busch single brought Josh around to the cut the deficit to 3-2 and a wild pitch scored Kyle to tie it up at 3.

Cody Roberts hit a deep fly ball that moved Michael to 3rd for the first out of the inning, and Brandon Riley singled to bring him in and put the Heels back up 4-3. A throwing error on the play by the 2nd Baseman let Brandon get to 2nd and Ike Freeman followed that up by hitting a ball to 2nd that resulted in a throwing error for the second play in a row to bring Brandon around and make it 5-3. After an out Brandon Martorano worked a full count and came up with a 2 out single to score Ike and give the Heels a 6-3 edge.

Austin threw a 1-2-3 4th and in the bottom of the inning the Heels came back for more. Zack Gahagan and Josh Ladowski singled to lead off the inning and Kyle Datres hit a deep flyball that moved Zack up to put runners on the corners with 1 down. Michael Busch singled to score Zack. 7-3. Cody Roberts singled to score Josh. 8-3. After an out Ike Freeman hit a clutch 2 out single to score Michael. 9-3.

Houston got a couple runners on base with 1 out in the 5th but Austin got a couple flyballs to strand them. Finally the Cougars did get a pair of runs back in the 6th to cut their deficit to 9-5 and Brett Daniels came on to pitch. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 down, Brett struck the hitter out swinging to preserve a 4 run lead.

In the bottom of the inning the Heels got the runs right back. Kyle Datres and Michael Busch drew consecutive 4 pitch walks to lead off and Cody Roberts bunted them both into scoring position. Brandon Riley hit a flyball to right. The Cougars conceded Kyle's run and went to 3rd to try to throw out Michael trying to advance. Instead they threw it away and he came in to score and give the Heels an 11-5 edge.

In the 7th Houston got another pair of runs to get to within 11-7 and Joey Lancellotti came on to get the last couple outs and prevent further damage. And once again in the bottom of the 7th the Heels bats punched right back. Brandon Martorano hit a leadoff single and then Zack Gahagan went deep for the second night in a row to make it 13-7. Kyle Datres got hit by a pitch and stole 2nd and Michael Busch singled to bring him around and make it 14-7.

Around this time it was becoming clear that a storm was coming from the west and that it was up in the air whether the game could be completed before the weather caused a delay. Houston got a grand slam in the 8th to get back to within 14-11. The next hitter singled and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch but Josh Hiatt got the last two outs, capping the inning with a strikeout, to avoid any further damage.

In the bottom of the 8th it became clear that the Cougars wanted to slow down the game as much as possible so that there would be a rain delay, hoping that would mean Josh would have to come out of the game and that a pause just generally would give them a better chance of coming back.

Jackson Hesterlee and Brandon Martorano walked to lead off the 8th. There were mound visits and pitching changes and long chats with the umpires. Zack Gahagan showed he was a good team player by bunting the runners over even though he had gone deep in his last at bat. Clemente Inclan was intentionally walked to load the bases. Finally after all the stalling the weather hit and everyone had to go back to their cars for an hour.

The rain delay did have an impact on the game when it restarted. But it wasn't the one Houston had in mind. It was 11 on a Sunday night so a decent number of people went home but the ones who stayed were lit. When the game finally restarted everyone who came back to the Bosh was on their feet and loud.

The Cougars didn't handle it well. Kyle Datres walked. 15-11. Michael Busch walked. 16-11. Brandon Riley walked. 17-11. And Ike Freeman singled to bring in another pair and make it 19-11. Houston quickly went from a 3 run deficit to an 8 run deficit as the amped up crowd made it hard for them to throw strikes.

Rodney Hutchison came on for the 9th and threw a scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts to officially make the Heels the Chapel Hill Regional champions and set them up for a date the next weekend with Stetson at the Bosh for Super Regionals.

Zack Gahagan (including a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 runs), Michael Busch (including 4 RBI and 4 runs), and Ike Freeman (including 3 RBI and a run) each had 3 hits for the Heels. Kyle Datres scored 5 runs thanks to a pair of hits (including a home run), a pair of walks, and a HBP. Josh Ladowski (including a double and 2 runs), Brandon Riley (including 3 RBI and a run), and Brandon Martorano (including 2 runs and an RBI) each had a pair of hits. Cody Roberts rounded out the 18 hit explosion for the Heels with a single and an RBI.

Austin Bergner got the win to improve his record to 7-2 on the year, Michael Busch was named regional MVP, and the victory made the Heels 41-18 for the season.

And quick hits from 2006, 2011, 2012, and 2017:

-In 2006 the Heels beat Winthrop 14-4 in the winners bracket game of the Chapel Hill Regional. Tim Federowicz (including a double, 3 runs and 2 RBI) and Mike Cavasinni (including 2 RBI and a run) each had 4 hits for the Heels. Jay Cox (including 2 home runs and a double, 4 RBI, and 2 runs), and Seth Williams (including a triple and 2 doubles, 2 runs, and an RBI) each had 3 hits. Benji Johnson (including a double, 2 RBI, and a run) and Chad Flack (including 2 runs and an RBI) each had a pair of hits. Reid Fronk (including 2 runs and an RBI), Josh Horton (including a run), and Matt Iannetta each had a double.

Andrew Miller started and went 8 innings to earn the win and go to 12-2 on the season. The Heels pushed their overall record to 47-13 and advanced to the regional championship.

-In 2011 the Heels moved on to a winners bracket date with James Madison after a 4-0 win over Maine in the opening game of the Chapel Hill Regional. Kent Emanuel had an awesome start in his postseason debut, going 8 scoreless innings to get to 7–1 on the season. Michael Morin threw a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.

The Heels scored all their runs in the 1st inning, highlighted by a Jacob Stallings 3 run blast. Coach Jesse Wierzbicki had 3 of 5 Heels hits for the day, including a double and the single that initially gave the Heels a 1-0 lead. Chaz Frank also singled and scored a run. The win took the Heels to 46-14 for the year.

-In 2012 the Heels beat East Carolina 5-3 to make it to the regional championship game. Benton Moss started and had a great outing, allowing only 1 run in 6 innings to earn the win and improve his record for the season to 7-2. RC Orlan threw a scoreless 7th and Tate Parrish got a pop out from the only hitter he faced, with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs in the 8th and the Pirates having a chance to tie the game. Michael Morin pitched the 9th to extend his program record for saves in a season to 19.

Brian Holberton had a pair of hits and scored a run. Mike Zolk singled and drove in 2 runs, Jacob Stallings singled and drove in a run, and Tommy Coyle singled and scored 2 runs. The win made the Heels 46-15 for the season and ended the year for the Pirates.

-In 2017 the Heels beat Michigan 8-1 to stay alive in the Chapel Hill Regional. Luca Dalatri had a great postseason debut, going 7 innings and striking out 6 while allowing only 1 run on 5 hits to push his record for the season to 7-3. Brett Daniels threw a 1-2-3 8th and Jason Morgan threw a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.

Tyler Lynn led the way for the Heels with 3 hits, including a double, scoring 2 runs and driving one in. Cody Roberts had a double and drove in 2 runs and scored one, and Michael Busch doubled and scored a run. Ashton McGee singled and drove in a pair of runs, Zack Gahagan singled and scored a run, and a Kyle Datres single rounded out the hits in the win for the Heels, which made them 48-13 on the year.

Players Mentioned

Austin Bergner

Michael Busch

Brett Daniels

Kyle Datres

Ike Freeman

Zack Gahagan

Jackson Hesterlee

Josh Hiatt

Clemente Inclan

Josh Ladowski

Joey Lancellotti

Brandon Martorano

Ashton McGee

Jason Morgan

Brandon Riley

Cody Roberts

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