Sunday, March 6
Chapel Hill
1 p.m.
North Carolina
11-1
4
vs
3
Coastal Carolina
7-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
R
H
E
Coastal Carolina
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
3
5
1
North Carolina
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
4
9
2
Eric Grintz
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Baseball Sweep Completed In Walk-Off Style
March 6, 2022 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL – Eric Grintz delivered a walk-off single Sunday afternoon to give North Carolina a 4-3 10-inning win over Coastal Carolina, completing a three-game sweep which ironically began with a 4-3 walk-off win on Friday night.
Stepping into the batter's box for just the fourth time this season, Grintz got behind 0-2 before taking a ball and fouling off a pitch to set the stage for his heroics.
"This game is so pitch-to-pitch," Grintz said. "Our offensive approach is to stick to our routine; focusing on that and trying to slow myself down.
"When I fouled that ball off, I looked back at the dugout and gave Coach [Bryant] Gaines a big smile and he gave me a fist pump. I was super confident there. I trusted all my preparation and all my hard work, that if the guy gave me a pitch to hit, I was going to put a good swing on. Sure enough, I was lucky to that."
Grintz almost never got the chance to be the hero, but Reece Holbrook was tagged out at the plate on trying to score on a squeeze play. The Chanticleers (7-5) then intentionally walked Angel Zarate to load the bases with two outs and bring Grintz to the plate.
The game was tied at 2-2 through seven and appeared it would stay that way heading into the bottom of the eighth as Zarate threw out Kameron Guangorena at the plate trying to score from second to end the inning.
However, after the umpires looked at the replay obstruction was called, and the runner was ruled safe to give the Chanticleers a 3-2 lead.
The Diamond Heels (11-1) immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning as Alberto Osuna hit a solo home run to center field to lead off the inning.
Both teams put runners in scoring position in the ninth inning, but neither scored.
Each team used eight pitchers in the game. CCU starter Elliot Carney went the longest of any pitcher, allowing three hits and striking out five in five innings.
Seven Carolina relievers combined to pitch the final seven innings and allowed only three hits with six strikeouts. Connor Ollio picked up his first win of the season, inducing a pair of fly outs with the go ahead run at second base in the 10th.
NOTABLES
• North Carolina recorded its second three-game sweep of the season. The Tar Heels also swept Seton Hall during the opening weekend.
• Angel Zarate extended his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his career long, and extended his one base streak to 35 games. He is the first Tar Heel in the Super Regional era to have two on-base streaks of 35 or more games. He also had a 39-game on base streak earlier in his career.
• First baseman Hunter Stokely recorded his fourth consecutive multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with an RBI. He finished the three-game series 6-for-10 with four RBIs.
• Tomas Frick and Alberto Osuna also collected two hits giving Frick multi-hit games this season and Osuna three.
• Shawn Rapp made his NCAA leading ninth appearance of the season and struck out three of six batters faced in 1.2 innings. He was struck out 16 batters in 8.2 innings this season.
• Connor Bovair also fanned three of six batters faced in 2.0 innings.
• UNC Head Coach Scott Forbes was ejected in the top of the eighth inning. It was his first career ejection.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Dale Thomas hit a home off the scoreboard in left field for the first run of the game in the top of the third inning (CCU 1, UNC 0).
• Zarate doubled down the right field line and Frick followed with a base hit to right, scoring Zarate in the bottom of the third (UNC 1, CCU 1).
• Eric Brown's sacrifice fly plated Thomas to put the Chanticleers back on top in the fifth inning (CCU 2, UNC 1).
• Johnny Castagnozzi walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Stokely's single to center field (UNC 2, CCU 2).
• Guangorena scored on an obstruction call in the top of the eighth (CCU 3, UNC 2).
• Osuna hit a home run to center field to tie the game in the bottom half of the eighth (UNC 3, CCU 3).
• Grintz singled to left field in the bottom of the 10th to plate Will Stewart with the game-winning run (UNC 4, CCU 3).
UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels will travel to Lynchburg, Va., on Tuesday, March 8, to take on No. 20 Liberty.
Stepping into the batter's box for just the fourth time this season, Grintz got behind 0-2 before taking a ball and fouling off a pitch to set the stage for his heroics.
"This game is so pitch-to-pitch," Grintz said. "Our offensive approach is to stick to our routine; focusing on that and trying to slow myself down.
"When I fouled that ball off, I looked back at the dugout and gave Coach [Bryant] Gaines a big smile and he gave me a fist pump. I was super confident there. I trusted all my preparation and all my hard work, that if the guy gave me a pitch to hit, I was going to put a good swing on. Sure enough, I was lucky to that."
Grintz almost never got the chance to be the hero, but Reece Holbrook was tagged out at the plate on trying to score on a squeeze play. The Chanticleers (7-5) then intentionally walked Angel Zarate to load the bases with two outs and bring Grintz to the plate.
The game was tied at 2-2 through seven and appeared it would stay that way heading into the bottom of the eighth as Zarate threw out Kameron Guangorena at the plate trying to score from second to end the inning.
However, after the umpires looked at the replay obstruction was called, and the runner was ruled safe to give the Chanticleers a 3-2 lead.
The Diamond Heels (11-1) immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning as Alberto Osuna hit a solo home run to center field to lead off the inning.
Both teams put runners in scoring position in the ninth inning, but neither scored.
Each team used eight pitchers in the game. CCU starter Elliot Carney went the longest of any pitcher, allowing three hits and striking out five in five innings.
Seven Carolina relievers combined to pitch the final seven innings and allowed only three hits with six strikeouts. Connor Ollio picked up his first win of the season, inducing a pair of fly outs with the go ahead run at second base in the 10th.
NOTABLES
• North Carolina recorded its second three-game sweep of the season. The Tar Heels also swept Seton Hall during the opening weekend.
• Angel Zarate extended his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his career long, and extended his one base streak to 35 games. He is the first Tar Heel in the Super Regional era to have two on-base streaks of 35 or more games. He also had a 39-game on base streak earlier in his career.
• First baseman Hunter Stokely recorded his fourth consecutive multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with an RBI. He finished the three-game series 6-for-10 with four RBIs.
• Tomas Frick and Alberto Osuna also collected two hits giving Frick multi-hit games this season and Osuna three.
• Shawn Rapp made his NCAA leading ninth appearance of the season and struck out three of six batters faced in 1.2 innings. He was struck out 16 batters in 8.2 innings this season.
• Connor Bovair also fanned three of six batters faced in 2.0 innings.
• UNC Head Coach Scott Forbes was ejected in the top of the eighth inning. It was his first career ejection.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Dale Thomas hit a home off the scoreboard in left field for the first run of the game in the top of the third inning (CCU 1, UNC 0).
• Zarate doubled down the right field line and Frick followed with a base hit to right, scoring Zarate in the bottom of the third (UNC 1, CCU 1).
• Eric Brown's sacrifice fly plated Thomas to put the Chanticleers back on top in the fifth inning (CCU 2, UNC 1).
• Johnny Castagnozzi walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Stokely's single to center field (UNC 2, CCU 2).
• Guangorena scored on an obstruction call in the top of the eighth (CCU 3, UNC 2).
• Osuna hit a home run to center field to tie the game in the bottom half of the eighth (UNC 3, CCU 3).
• Grintz singled to left field in the bottom of the 10th to plate Will Stewart with the game-winning run (UNC 4, CCU 3).
UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels will travel to Lynchburg, Va., on Tuesday, March 8, to take on No. 20 Liberty.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ollio, Connor (1-0)
L: Barrow, Luke (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Guangorena, Kameron 1
HR: Thomas, Dale 1
RBI: Thomas, Dale 1 ; Brown, Eric 1 ; Brown, Graham 1
SH: White, Austin 1 ; Guangorena, Kameron 1
SF: Brown, Eric 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Thomas, Dale 2 ; Guangorena, Kameron 1
SB: Brown, Graham 1
CS: White, Austin 1
HBP: Lucky, Nick 1 ; Weiss, Cooper 1
Batting:
2B: Zarate, Angel 1
HR: Osuna, Alberto 1
RBI: Frick, Tomas 1 ; Grintz, Eric 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1
SH: Honeycutt, Vance 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zarate, Angel 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Stewart, Will 1
SB: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Holbrook, Reece 1
CS: Castagnozzi, Johnny 1
HBP: Frick, Tomas 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
rf/lf
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF
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C
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C
/ Baseball
OF
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RHP
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LHP
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OF/C
/ Baseball
1b/OF
/ Baseball
OF
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