When UNC baseball head coach Mike Fox overhauled his roster in the offseason after missing the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2001, he did it with the hope that 2016 would be the year the Tar Heels put themselves back in contention with the sports’ big boys.
On Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, the No. 16 Tar Heels showcased their brand new offense–defeating the No. 11 UCLA Bruins 14-5 in the series clincher.
UNC is off to a 2-1 start this year, and now officially can boast a series win over one of the nation’s top programs–something that was sorely missing in 2015.
Tyler Ramirez (left) got the ball rolling on Sunday with a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. (Joe Bray/ UNC Athletics)
Five Tar Heel hitters combined for 10 of the team’s 12 hits, all picking up a pair–including newbies Tyler Lynn and Kyle Datres.
Lynn, a junior college transfer from Alabama, has emerged as the starter in left field while Datres–a true freshman–has taken over at second base.
Each of them picked up an RBI on Sunday, but it was the man expected to be the offensive leader of the team, junior center fielder Tyler Ramirez, who got the party rolling.
Ramirez’s three-run homer in the first inning gave the Tar Heels a 3-0 lead–much like the one they couldn’t hold onto Saturday.
Another of last season’s returning starters, third baseman Zack Gahagan, hit one over the wall in the top of the seventh. His effort broke a 5-5 tie and started the late spurt that gave the team nine runs over the final three frames.
UCLA (1-2) got on the board on two occasions against 6-foot-6 UNC righty Jason Morgan, getting a two-run blast from first baseman Sean Bouchard in the second inning, before chasing him from the game during the sixth–when three runs by the home team tied it up at 5.
Morgan gave up just two hits in 5.2 innings, but threw 90 pitches and also walked four.
This time it was the UNC bullpen who shut the door, after the Bruin relievers held the Tar Heels in check over the last four innings in Saturday’s Game 2.
Freshman Cole Aker tossed 2.1 innings of shutout ball for the Tar Heels, which was enough to give him the win (1-1) after being credited with the loss in the last game.
The Bruins needed five relief pitchers to make it through the final innings–as UNC simply showed no mercy with the bats.
Up Next:
UNC will begin its home schedule next weekend at Boshamer Stadium with yet another grueling series–this one against No. 8 Oklahoma State.
Game Notes:
- Eight different Tar Heels recorded an RBI in this game, including three who are new to the squad.
- Picking up hits with runners on base was a problem for last year’s UNC team, but the Tar Heels went 8-for-15 in that situation on Sunday.
- Ramirez’s homer was the first for UNC this season.
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