#6 UNC Strikes Back in Game 2 to Even Series With #4 UCLA

A burst of late offense led the #6 UNC baseball team (4-1) to a 9-6 victory in another back-and-forth affair with the #4 UCLA Bruins (5-1) in the second game of their top-ten showdown on Saturday. The game marks the Bruins’ first loss of the season.

Fans in Orlando were treated to a pitchers’ duel at the start, between UNC’s Trent Thornton and UCLA’s lefty Grant Watson, as both offenses desperately searched for answers early on.

Thornton opened the game with five scoreless innings, settling down after giving up two hits in the first, retiring nine hitters in a row at one point, until getting himself in a tough situation in the sixth. He finished with six strikeouts and allowed three earned runs (all in the sixth), while throwing 5.1 innings for Carolina.

Watson matched that initial effort pitch for pitch, keeping the Tar Heels out of the hit column for three innings, until sophomore shortstop Wood Myers finally broke through with a double to lead off the fourth.

A follow-up walk to Tyler Ramirez gave the UNC dugout a sign of life, before Bruins’ center-fielder Christoph Bono sprawled out for an amazing diving catch that kept Tar Heel first baseman Adrian Chacon from potentially driving Myers home. Next at the plate, though, was second baseman Alex Raburn, who lined a two-out RBI single to left center-field, scoring Myers and giving Carolina a 1-0 lead through four.

With the Tar Heels seemingly on the way to being victims of yet another Watson 1-2-3 inning, in the bottom of the fifth, Landon Lassiter and Myers each singled with two outs, setting the table for Skye Bolt, who brought home Lassiter with a hit that bounced over the head of UCLA shortstop Kevin Kramer. Carolina went ahead 3-0 on the next at-bat after a fielding error by Bruin first baseman Luke Persico allowed Wood Myers to come home, and Tyler Ramirez to reach base.

This rally would spell the end of the road for the senior lefty, as Watson would be done after five innings and 90 pitches, giving up five hits, walking two, and striking out just one Tar Heel batter.

The 2013 NCAA Champions would rise to the challenge though, and then some, pouncing on Thornton in the top of the sixth for two runs. Christoph Bono scored on a wild pitch and Persico doubled home Kramer to end the day for the junior right-hander.

Coach Mike Fox would bring in his All-American reliever, Reilly Hovis, to try and escape the one-out jam, but the early struggles for Hovis would continue, initially.

After Seton Hall tagged the righty for four runs in the ninth inning, with the game out of reach, last Sunday in Chapel Hill, UCLA designated hitter Ty Moore immediately drove in Persico to tie the game at three. Second baseman Sean Bouchard then got in on the act with an RBI single through the left side, putting the Bruins in front by one.

UNC’s offense continued to shine late in the game, snatching the lead back by scoring two runs off of UCLA reliever Griffin Canning right away, in the bottom of the sixth. Alex Raburn scored on a double by freshman pinch-hitter Brian Miller, and Logan Warmoth came home courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Landon Lassiter.

Hovis remained on the mound to start the seventh, showing the Tar Heel faithful what they’ve come to expect, sitting the Bruins down in order in the top of the frame.  He would also be credited with the win (1-0) for his efforts.

In the Carolina half of the seventh, UNC was able to manufacture scoring yet again, this time off the bats of freshman roommates Warmoth (RBI single, his second base hit of the game) and first baseman Zack Gahagan (single up the middle for two RBI in his first at-bat off the bench).

UCLA tacked on two runs in the top of the eighth, but a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning by reliever Scott Burke let Tyler Ramirez cross the plate and extend the UNC lead to 9-6.

With one final opportunity to tie the game in the ninth against Tar Heel reliever Chris McCue, the Bruins were able to get a couple runners on base, thanks to two errors in the field by UNC.

Clinging to the lead, Coach Fox called to the bullpen for lefty Zach Rice to deliver the final out, and the save. And he did, when Bruin third baseman Chris Keck flew out two pitches later to end the game.

The rubber match will take place Sunday morning, with first pitch coming at 11 A.M. UNC will send freshman sensation JB Bukauskas to the mound to face off with UCLA junior right-hander Cody Poteet.

Game Notes: 

• UCLA batted around in the top of the sixth
• UNC batted 9-22 with runners in scoring position today, after a dismal 0-8 performance Friday
• Both teams have combined for 17 errors in two games (each team had three today)
• The Tar Heels had 12 hits, distributed among nine different players, led by Wood Myers (3-5) and Logan Warmoth (2-4, RBI)

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