Sunday, February 25
Greenville, N.C.
2 p.m.
North Carolina
5-2
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East Carolina
5-2
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9
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North Carolina
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East Carolina
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10
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Baseball Falls To ECU In Dramatic Series Final
February 25, 2024 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – With the bases loaded and the infield pulled in; Bristol Carter looped a base hit into right field to give No. 11 East Carolina a 10-9 victory over No. 15 North Carolina at Clerk-LeClair Stadium on Sunday in front of a record crowd of 6,017.
There were four lead changes in the final three innings after UNC (5-2) fell behind 4-0 after five innings.
Casey Cook hit a two-run home run to right in the sixth to cut Carolina's deficit in half. UNC then took its first lead of the game the next inning as freshman Gavin Gallaher lifted a pinch-hit, three-run homer over the left field wall just beyond the reach of outfielder Luke Nowak for a 5-4 Tar Heel lead.
"When you have the right attitude, and you're a team-first guy like Gavin Gallaher is, that didn't surprise me," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "He's very talented, but it's hard to get in the lineup. He was ready, but you don't have that success if you're sulking because you are not in the lineup."
Colby Wilkerson singled with one down after Luke Stevenson drew a leadoff walk in the seventh,. The Pirates brought in left-handed pitcher Ethan Norby to face Alex Madera, who was then lifted for the right-handed hitting Gallaher.
Two RBI singles and an RBI-groundout put the Pirates back on top in the bottom half of the seventh.
Wilkerson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth to make it a one-run game, and Gallaher flew out to the wall in right field to plate the tying run. Vance Honeycutt singled through the left side to put the Tar Heels back on top by a run through seven and a half innings, 8-7.
ECU (5-2) retook the lead in eight as Nowak hit his first career home run with a runner aboard in the eighth, but the resilient Tar Heels kept battling.
In the top of the ninth, Parks Harber drew a leadoff walk, Eliot Dix was hit by a pitch, and Stevenson ground out to second to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
Kaleb Cost, who pinch-ran for Harber, dashed home to tie the game when Corey Costello unleashed a wild pitch, and the game moved into the ninth.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jacob Starling singled, and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart doubled to put the winning run at third base. UNC elected to load the bases and intentionally walked Dixon Williams to set the stage for Carter's heroics.
Carolina outfielder Anthony Donofrio collected two hits while Gallaher registered four RBIs and Cook two.
Jenkins-Cowart had three hits for ECU, while Starling and Ryley Johnson had two. Jenkins-Cowhart was one of three Pirates with two RBIs, along with Nowak and Carter Cunningham.
Jackson Dilrenzio (1-0) picked up the win for ECU, and Shea Sprague (0-1) took the loss for North Carolina.
Carolina used seven pitchers out of the bullpen after starter Olin Johnson was lifted in the second following his third walk of the game. Dalton Pence and Aidan Haugh pitched two innings.
The Tar Heels return to action Tuesday at 4 p.m. against VCU inside Boshamer Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• B1 – Jenkins-Cowart singled to left field to drive home Johnson and Cunningham, who drew back-to-back walks to lead off the innings (ECU, 2-0).
• B2 – Cam Clonch lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Nowak. Nowak was issued a leadoff walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw (ECU, 3-0).
• B5 – Cunningham hit a solo home run (ECU, 4-0).
• T6 – Cook hit a two-run home run to right field (ECU, 4-2).
• T7 – Gallaher hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer (UNC, 5-4).
• B7 – Johnson singled to left, Cunningham grounded out to second,, and Starling singled into left,, each driving in a run (ECU, 7-5).
• T8 – Wilkerson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Gallaher lifted a sacrifice fly into right, and Honeycutt singled through the left side, with each player recording an RBI (UNC, 8-7).
• B8 – Nowak hit a two-run homer run (ECU, 9-8).
• T9 – Cost scored on a wild pitch (T, 9-9).
• B9 – Starling scored the game-winning run on a hit to right field by Carter (ECU, 10-9).
There were four lead changes in the final three innings after UNC (5-2) fell behind 4-0 after five innings.
Casey Cook hit a two-run home run to right in the sixth to cut Carolina's deficit in half. UNC then took its first lead of the game the next inning as freshman Gavin Gallaher lifted a pinch-hit, three-run homer over the left field wall just beyond the reach of outfielder Luke Nowak for a 5-4 Tar Heel lead.
"When you have the right attitude, and you're a team-first guy like Gavin Gallaher is, that didn't surprise me," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "He's very talented, but it's hard to get in the lineup. He was ready, but you don't have that success if you're sulking because you are not in the lineup."
Colby Wilkerson singled with one down after Luke Stevenson drew a leadoff walk in the seventh,. The Pirates brought in left-handed pitcher Ethan Norby to face Alex Madera, who was then lifted for the right-handed hitting Gallaher.
Two RBI singles and an RBI-groundout put the Pirates back on top in the bottom half of the seventh.
Wilkerson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth to make it a one-run game, and Gallaher flew out to the wall in right field to plate the tying run. Vance Honeycutt singled through the left side to put the Tar Heels back on top by a run through seven and a half innings, 8-7.
ECU (5-2) retook the lead in eight as Nowak hit his first career home run with a runner aboard in the eighth, but the resilient Tar Heels kept battling.
In the top of the ninth, Parks Harber drew a leadoff walk, Eliot Dix was hit by a pitch, and Stevenson ground out to second to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
Kaleb Cost, who pinch-ran for Harber, dashed home to tie the game when Corey Costello unleashed a wild pitch, and the game moved into the ninth.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jacob Starling singled, and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart doubled to put the winning run at third base. UNC elected to load the bases and intentionally walked Dixon Williams to set the stage for Carter's heroics.
Carolina outfielder Anthony Donofrio collected two hits while Gallaher registered four RBIs and Cook two.
Jenkins-Cowart had three hits for ECU, while Starling and Ryley Johnson had two. Jenkins-Cowhart was one of three Pirates with two RBIs, along with Nowak and Carter Cunningham.
Jackson Dilrenzio (1-0) picked up the win for ECU, and Shea Sprague (0-1) took the loss for North Carolina.
Carolina used seven pitchers out of the bullpen after starter Olin Johnson was lifted in the second following his third walk of the game. Dalton Pence and Aidan Haugh pitched two innings.
The Tar Heels return to action Tuesday at 4 p.m. against VCU inside Boshamer Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• B1 – Jenkins-Cowart singled to left field to drive home Johnson and Cunningham, who drew back-to-back walks to lead off the innings (ECU, 2-0).
• B2 – Cam Clonch lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Nowak. Nowak was issued a leadoff walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw (ECU, 3-0).
• B5 – Cunningham hit a solo home run (ECU, 4-0).
• T6 – Cook hit a two-run home run to right field (ECU, 4-2).
• T7 – Gallaher hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer (UNC, 5-4).
• B7 – Johnson singled to left, Cunningham grounded out to second,, and Starling singled into left,, each driving in a run (ECU, 7-5).
• T8 – Wilkerson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Gallaher lifted a sacrifice fly into right, and Honeycutt singled through the left side, with each player recording an RBI (UNC, 8-7).
• B8 – Nowak hit a two-run homer run (ECU, 9-8).
• T9 – Cost scored on a wild pitch (T, 9-9).
• B9 – Starling scored the game-winning run on a hit to right field by Carter (ECU, 10-9).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: DILORENZO, Jackson (1-0)
L: Sprague, Shea (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Cook, Casey 1
RBI: Gallaher, Gavin 4 ; Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Cook, Casey 2 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SF: Gallaher, Gavin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Cost, Kaleb 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 1 ; French, Carter 1 ; Stevenson, Luke 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SB: French, Carter 1
HBP: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Dix, Eliot 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
Batting:
2B: JENKINS-COWART, J. 1
HR: CUNNINGHAM, C. 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 1
RBI: JOHNSON, Ryley 1 ; CUNNINGHAM, C. 2 ; STARLING, Jacob 1 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 2 ; CARTER, Bristol 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 2 ; CLONCH, Cam 1
SH: STARLING, Jacob 1
SF: CLONCH, Cam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: JOHNSON, Ryley 2 ; CUNNINGHAM, C. 2 ; STARLING, Jacob 1 ; CARTER, Bristol 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 2 ; CHRISMON, Nathan 1 ; BERINI, Joey 1
CS: JOHNSON, Ryley 1
Game Leaders
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RBI
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Players Mentioned
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