This Day In Tar Heel Baseball History: June 8

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 8
For today's version of 'This Day in Recent Carolina Baseball History' we go back to 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2018 for a huge comeback in the first Super Regional game ever held in Chapel Hill, a red hot Omaha clincher, a Skye Bolt walkoff, and a good start to the Heels' first appearance in Supers in 5 years.

On June 8, 2007 the Heels started their super against South Carolina in a game that represented both a first and a last. It was the first Super Regional game they'd ever hosted at the Bosh. And it was also the final weekend ever of play at the old Bosh. Quite a way to send it out. There was an incredible amount of interest in tickets and demand far exceeded supply, showing why the new stadium was needed.

The Gamecocks hit a single and a home run to start and led the game 2-0 before an out was even recorded. This may have created a bad deja vu feeling- a lot of recent Heels post season runs, including their first time playing in a super in 2003, had come to an end at the hands of South Carolina.

But after that tough start Robert Woodard settled in. He struck out further big leaguer Justin Smoak to get his first out and then retired the side in order. He followed up with a 1-2-3 2nd and a 1-2-3 3rd. The Gamecocks finally got a 1 out single in the 4th to snap Robert's string of retiring 10 hitters in a row but he got the next 2 batters and then threw a scoreless 5th working around a 2 out single.

The Heels got 5 runners on base over the first 5 innings but couldn't bring any of them home. In the 6th South Carolina loaded the bases on a couple of walks and an error and then launched a grand slam with 2 outs to go ahead 6-0. It sort of felt like the Heels were finished.

They'd been behind late in 2 of their regional games the previous week though and fought back to win both times. They knew how to get it done with their backs against the wall. And they clawed back in the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs. Josh Horton doubled to keep the inning alive. And then Chad Flack doubled too to bring him home and get the Heels on the board. 6-1. Kyle Seager reached on an error to put runners on the corners. Seth Williams singled to bring in Chad. 6-2. And after working a full count Garrett Gore singled to score Kyle and get the Heels back to within 6-3 thanks to a 4 hit rally all with 2 outs.

South Carolina got a leadoff single in the 7th and bunted him over and then the Heels went to the bullpen. Robert Woodard walked off the mound at the Bosh for the last time to a grand ovation from the fans in appreciation of the winningest pitcher in program history.

Rob Wooten came on and got a couple strikeouts to end the inning. He'd been especially effective since breaking his teeth on the back of Reid Fronk's head in the dog pile against ECU the previous week, who knows, maybe that helps you pitch better.

In the bottom of the 7th the Heels bats once again got things going with 2 out. Tim Federowicz worked a full count and singled. Josh Horton doubled on a 2-2 count to score him. 6-4. Chad Flack hit a 2-2 single to left to score Josh. 6-5. Kyle Seager hit a 2-2 single to left of his own to move Chad up to 2nd. The Heels had 4 consecutive 2 out, 2 strike hits, the definition of clutch.

The Gamecocks switched pitchers and at this point the Bosh was rocking like it had never rocked before- the old stadium might have seen its highest decibel level in its final weekend. And I think the crowd got into the new pitcher's head. He walked Seth Williams on 5 pitches load the bases. Then he walked Garrett Gore on 5 pitches to tie the game. 6-6.

South Carolina tried a new pitcher. Reid Fronk singled. 7-6. Tim Fedroff singled to bring in a run and the SS made an error to allow another one to come around. The Heels led 9-6 thanks to a 6 run 7th inning rally with 2 outs on top of their 3 run 6th inning rally with 2 outs.

The Heels turned the ball over to Andrew Carignan for a 2 inning save. AC was a guy who seemed like he really thrived off an intense crowd. Bad news for the Gamecocks. Andrew was so amped he walked the the first guy he faced, but he followed that up by getting a double play and then a strikeout to end the inning.

In the 9th it only took him 5 pitches to get the first 2 outs of the inning. He delivered a 2 out walk but quickly followed that up by getting a grounder to end the game and give the Heels a 1-0 lead in their first ever Super Regional game at the Bosh. It was quite a night.

Rob Wooten got the win for the third Heels game in a row, all in come from behind critical postseason games. Not too often you can string together a run like that. Andrew Carignan got his 15th save of the season.

Josh Horton was the star for the Heels on offense with 3 doubles, scoring twice, and driving in a run. Chad Flack also had a pair of hits, including a double, both driving in and scoring 2 runs.

8 of 9 Heels starters had at least one hit. Garrett Gore (including 2 RBI and a run), Kyle Seager (including 2 runs), Seth Williams (including a run and an RBI), Reid Fronk (including an RBI), and Tim Fedroff (including an RBI) all had singles. The win made the Heels 52-12 for the season.

On June 8, 2008 the Heels played the second game of their scorching hot Super Regional against Coastal Carolina in Cary. So many people had passed out the day before that this time they just parked a bunch of ambulances beyond the OF fence in case they were needed but a lot of care had been given to cooling stations and things like that and people knew what they were in for after the first game so I think things went fine in the crowd.

They certainly went fine on the field. The Heels were the 'road' team and didn't score in the 1st. Adam Warren set the Chanticleers down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

In the 2nd the Heels made it clear pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be a competitive game. Kyle Seager drew a 4 pitch walk to lead off the inning. Chad Flack singled on the next pitch to put runners on the corners, and Garrett Gore singled on the pitch after that to bring Kyle home. 3 pitches, 3 base runners, 1-0.

After an out Garrett and Chad executed a double steal to both get into scoring position. With 2 down Dustin Ackley singled them both in. 3-0. Kyle Shelton singled to get runners on 1st and 2nd. Tim Fedroff doubled to score them both. 5-0. And a Tim Federowicz double scored the other Tim to make it a 6 run 2nd.

Adam walked a couple guys with 1 out in the bottom of the 2nd...and then proceeded to pick one of them off and get a strikeout to end the inning. In the 3rd he walked a Chanticleer with 1 out...and quickly erased him on a double play. In the 4th he delivered a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts.

In the 5th the Heels bats got back to it. Kyle Seager drew a walk- the same way their previous rally started. With 2 outs Garrett Gore fell behind 1-2 but then delivered a single to keep the inning going. That started a parade of singles. Seth Williams singled to score Kyle. 7-0. Ryan Graepel singled to score Garrett. 8-0. And Dustin Ackley singled to score Seth. 9-0 following 4 two out singles in a row.

Adam delivered a scoreless 5th and in the 6th the Heels continued to pour it on. Tim Fedroff hit a leadoff single and Tim Federowicz drew a walk. Kyle Seager singled to score Tim Fed the outfielder and Chad Flack singled to score Tim Fed the catcher. 11-0. A Garrett Gore sac fly brought Kyle in to make it 12-0.

Coastal got runners to the corners in the bottom of the 6th with 2 down but Adam got a fly out to end the inning without any damage. He left the game after going 6 shutout innings where he only allowed 2 hits. The win pushed his record for the season to 9-1.

The Chanticleers finally did score 4 runs in the 7th to get within 12-4. Rob Wooten came in with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 out and got a pop out on the first pitch he threw to avoid any further trouble.

Something I always try to be aware of in the last home game of the year is who's playing for the final time in front of the Tar Heel faithful, whether it's because they're seniors or they're likely to leave in the draft. I try to lead the crowd to make sure they get a big standing ovation their last time heading off the mound or their last time coming up to bat. One time I was super proud of our fans is when we were getting blown out by Auburn in game 3 of Supers last year but we still made sure to give our departing players that courtesy in appreciation of their time as Tar Heels.

But let me tell you one time I didn't have to do a thing to get a player a proper send off- when Chad Flack came up to start the 8th inning this day in Cary. The whole crowd organically rose to its feet to give Chad a thunderous ovation in appreciation of the role he played in putting the Heels on the national stage. He earned a spot on the top 10 career list for the Heels in a number of key offensive categories...but even more important than his overall records were his big hits to deliver the Heels to Omaha in 2006 and again in 2007 and it really was an electric feeling in the ballpark for his sendoff. When I think about the 2008 Super the top 2 things that come to mind are the heat and the deep love Tar Heel Nation showed for Chad Flack.

Rob Wooten threw a 1-2-3 8th and in the 9th the Heels had one last rally in them. Ryan Graepel hit a leadoff double to start the inning, Dustin Ackley drew a walk, and Tim Fedroff got hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought up Tim Federowicz for the last home at bat of his great career and he ended it on a high note, singling to score 2 runs and give the Heels a 14-4 lead.

Rob Wooten got the first 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th and then came out of the game to his own big ovation in appreciation of a great four year career. Fellow senior Tyler Trice was given the honor of coming in to get the last out. He'd thrown less than 20 innings all year and it was a real classy move by the coaching staff to give him that moment, the kind of thing Coach Smith would be proud of. Tyler got a fly out to right to finish it off and send the Heels to Omaha for the third year in a row. The win pushed the season record to 51-12.

Tim Federowicz (including a double, 3 RBI, and a run) and Dustin Ackley (including 3 RBI and 2 runs) led the way for the Heels with 3 hits each. Tim Fedroff (including a double, 2 RBI, and 2 runs), Ryan Graepel (including a double, an RBI, and a run), Garrett Gore (including 2 RBI and 2 runs), and Chad Flack (including an RBI and a run) each had a pair of hits. Kyle Seager singled, scored 3 times, and drove in a run, Seth Williams singled and drove in and scored a run, and Kyle Shelton singled and scored a run. Every Heel starter got at least 1 hit and played a part in at least 1 run.

In 2013 the Heels were supposed to play a Friday-Sunday Super against South Carolina...instead they ended up finishing it on Tuesday. The Friday opener was rained out so instead things started against the Gamecocks on Saturday, June 8, 2013.

Things didn't start off great- South Carolina got a couple of runs in the 1st. But in the bottom of the inning Landon Lassiter hit a 1 out single and Colin Moran reminded everyone why he was ACC Player of the Year with a double to left that scored Landon to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Colin moved to 3rd on a wild pitch with 2 outs but when Cody Stubbs hit a routine flyball to left it looked like he was going to be stranded there- until the Gamecock fielder just dropped the ball and the error allowed Colin to come home and tie the game at 2.

The Gamecocks regained their 2 run lead, getting one in the 2nd and another in the 3rd. They still had runners on 2nd and 3rd with just 1 out in the 3rd and the opportunity to really get an early advantage. But Chris Munnelly came on for the Heels and he'd seen it all by the end of his senior year so he wasn't going to be intimidated by the moment. He got a couple groundouts to end the threat.

In the bottom of the 3rd Colin Moran hit a one out single and with 2 down Cody Stubbs doubled to right. It wasn't going to be enough to get Colin home but the RF misplayed it and Colin scored on the error to get back within 4-3.

The Gamecocks got runners to 1st and 2nd with 2 out in the 4th, giving them another chance to extend their lead. Tate Parrish came on to pitch and fell behind 3-0 but after getting a strike he coaxed a flyball to right to strand the runners.

Chris McCue came on for the 5th. His steady relief pitching was a huge part of the Heels success in that postseason and he did it again here. After allowing a lead off single he got a foul out, the base runner was caught stealing, and a fly out ended the inning. He pitched around a couple base runners for a scoreless 6th as well.

In the bottom of the 6th Skye Bolt made a leadoff single and Cody Stubbs continued his torrid postseason with a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. After an out Brian Holberton came up with a huge single to center to bring them both in and give the Heels their first lead of the day at 5-4.

The Gamecocks hit a leadoff double in the 7th and appeared to be in a good position to tie the game back up. But Trent Thornton came in and quickly extinguished the threat with a ground out, a fly out, and another ground out, continuing his incredible freshman year run of success.

The Gamecocks did get a run to tie it in the 8th, and they still had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and a chance to push back ahead. But Trent got a strike out and then intentionally walked the next hitter. That brought Grayson Greiner, now the starting catcher for the Detroit Tigers, to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 down. He and Trent are now facing off against each other when the Blue Jays and the Tigers play. Trent got the better of it in this first face off, getting Grayson to fly out to center to end the inning and preserve the tie.

Trent came back with a 1-2-3 9th, giving the Heels a shot to walk it off in the home half of the inning. Parks Jordan hit a leadoff single to center and Chaz Frank bunted him up to 2nd. The next batter flied out to right though.

That brought Colin Moran up with 2 down and Skye Bolt on deck. I remember early in the season Miami decided to intentionally walk Colin to get to Skye and I yelled 'don't let them diss you like that Skye!' upon which he hit a three run blast to win the game.

The Gamecocks, just like the Hurricanes in March, made the poor decision to intentionally walk Colin and diss Skye. And they paid for it too. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 out, Skye fell behind 0-2. And then he fouled off a pitch. And fouled off another pitch. On the 5th pitch of the at bat he singled through the right side, setting up a close play at the plate. But Parks slid in home ahead of the throw to give the Heels a 6-5 walkoff win and put them ahead 1-0 in the series. The win improved the team's record for the season to 56-9. Trent got the win for 3 strong innings of work, making him 10-1 for the year.

Cody Stubbs (including 2 doubles and a run), Colin Moran (including a double, 2 runs, and an RBI), Brian Holberton (including 2 RBI), and Skye Bolt (including an RBI and a run) each had a pair of hits. Parks Jordan and Landon Lassiter each singled and scored a run, and Mike Zolk had a hit for the Heels as well.

On June 8, 2018 the Heels returned to Supers for the first time since 2013, hosting Stetson at the Bosh. The Hatters got a run in the 1st on a solo shot but in the bottom of the inning Michael Busch walked and Cody Roberts doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Brandon Riley hit a sac fly to left and the game was quickly tied back up.

Cooper Criswell started for the Heels and he settled in with a 1-2-3 2nd. Stetson got a couple of runners on base with 2 outs in the 3rd but he got a fly out to end the threat, and followed that up with a 1-2-3 4th and a 1-2-3 5th. Cooper finished his day going a strong 5 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits.

In the bottom of the 5th Kyle Datres got things started by singling with 2 outs. Michael Busch worked a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd for Cody Roberts. And Cody came up with probably the biggest hit of his Tar Heel career, going deep to left to take a 4-1 lead.

Caden O'Brien came in with a runner on 2nd and no one out in the 6th and proceeded to strand him there thanks to a strikeout, a groundout, and a fly out.

Stetson got a run in the 7th to cut their deficit to 4-2 and still had runners on 1st and 3rd with no one out when the Heels went to Josh Hiatt. Josh got a strikeout and a pop out. The lead run came in on a wild pitch to get the Hatters within 4-3 but then Josh got a flyball to center to end the inning.

In the home half of the 7th the Heels got more than enough offense to make up for that setback. Kyle Datres- one of the best ever to wear the Tar Heel uniform at a well timed hit by pitch- got...hit by a pitch and Michael Busch followed up by knocking one out of the park to right to get the lead back to 3 runs at 6-3. Cody Roberts walked, Brandon Riley doubled, and Ike Freeman walked to load the bases.

After another out Zack Gahagan came to the plate with 2 down. He had a great at bat, fouling off three pitches, and finally walking on the 7th pitch he faced to score Cody and get the Heels their biggest lead of the day at 7-3.

Josh threw a 1-2-3 8th, then got the first 2 outs of the 9th. But Stetson did not give up easily. A walk, a HBP, and a single brought a run home to get within 7-4. The Heels brought in Austin Bergner to close it and he walked the first guy he faced to load the bases. The next hitter drove one to left that off the bat seemed like it had the potential to be a go ahead grand slam but Ashton McGee corralled it on the warning track for the win to get the Heels within a game of returning to Omaha.

Austin got his first save of the season for closing it out and Cooper got the win for his good start to go to 6-2 on the year.

Cody Roberts was the star of the day at the plate with a home run and a double, driving in 3 runs and scoring a couple. Ike Freeman also had a pair of hits. Michael Busch homered, walked twice, scored three times, and drove in a pair of runs. Kyle Datres singled and scored twice. Brandon Riley doubled and drove in a run, Zack Gahagan singled and drove in a run, and Jackson Hesterlee also singled to round out the hits for the Heels.

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Players Mentioned

Austin Bergner

Michael Busch

Cooper Criswell

Kyle Datres

Ike Freeman

Zack Gahagan

Jackson Hesterlee

Josh Hiatt

Ashton McGee

Caden O'Brien

Brandon Riley

Cody Roberts

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