Recovering from the first two-game losing streak of the year, the 11th- ranked UNC baseball team returned home to Boshamer Stadium and defeated the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs 6-1 Wednesday afternoon. The non-conference victory improves Carolina’s overall record to 11-5, while Gardner-Webb falls to 10-7 on the year.
Over the past two games, the series finale loss to Duke and Tuesday’s blowout loss at Coastal Carolina, the Tar Heels were outscored by a combined score of 22-4 as they struggled to manufacture any type of offense and couldn’t do anything to keep opponents off the scoreboard.
Those issues were certainly taken care of on Wednesday.
Tyler Ramirez rounds the bases. (UNC Athletics)
Tyler Ramirez blasted a towering drive over the wall in right center-field following Adam Pate’s lead-off single to put Carolina ahead by two runs after just two batters.
“I think it was a big swing for our team, just because we were all ready to get back out there,” says Ramirez, “We just took a deep breath and relaxed after that, and started putting good at-bats together, so I think it was really big to just take a deep breath and go back out and play the game that we know we can.”
In fact, the first five UNC hitters of the game reached base off of Runnin’ Bulldogs’ starter Beau Hilton (0-1), capped off by Skye Bolt’s RBI single, which made the score 3-0 after just the first inning.
Filling in at the shortstop position for the injured Wood Myers, freshman Logan Warmoth plated his roommate, first baseman Zack Gahagan in the bottom of the third to give him his ninth RBI of the season. The next inning it was Gahagan’s turn to shine, with the Fletcher, North Carolina product driving in two more runs to give the Carolina bullpen a six run cushion to work with.
Discussing Warmoth’s performance at shortstop, Coach Fox says “It’s incredible to me. This game never ceases to amaze me. We had him at short a little bit in the fall, but as you all know he’s played third every game and we obviously had to make some moves. And he was sensational.”
Building that lead for the bullpen was important, because for the third straight game, the Tar Heels’ starting pitcher failed to make it through three innings, and in today’s case freshman Brett Daniels was done after recording just one out.
Gardner-Webb hit singles in each of their first two at-bats before right-fielder Collin Thacker smacked a hard liner right back at the mound, striking Daniels hard in the back. He was able to make the play over to first base, but Coach Mike Fox came out to the mound to check on his pitcher, obviously in pain, and wasted no time making a move to his bullpen workhorse, senior Trevor Kelley (2-0), who again got UNC out of an early jam unscathed.
“Trevor Kelley, I mean he’s been our savior so far out of the bullpen,” Coach Fox says, “He kept them from scoring and with the home run (by Ramirez), the game just changed quickly.”
Trevor Kelley kept up his streak of appearances, extending that number to five. (UNC Athletics)
In his fifth consecutive game making a relief appearance, Kelley and his unique side-winding release continued to baffle opposing hitters, as he threw 3.2 innings to pick up the win without even giving up a hit, let alone a run.
Not until the top of the sixth inning off of freshman Jason Morgan did the Runnin’ Bulldogs scrape across a run. First baseman Sam Fulginiti’s single to right center sent Ryan Hodge across home plate and assured that there would be no shut-out from the Tar Heel pitching staff.
However, that’s all they were able to come up with, as Carolina cruised the rest of the way behind the arm of Morgan, who went the last five innings pitched himself, allowing just the one run and five hits.
Up Next:
Conference play will pick back up again this weekend, with UNC taking their talents up north to take on Pittsburgh in a three game ACC series. Zac Gallen is expected to start for the Tar Heels in Friday’s opener, looking to provide a big follow-up to his electric 12 strikeout performance last week against Duke. First pitch is set for 3 P.M.
Game Notes:
- Ramirez’s two-run shot in the first inning was only the second non-solo homer of the season for UNC. Ramirez also hit the first one.
- With runners on base, Carolina hit 7-20 (.350) for the day.
- In the past 10 days, Trevor Kelley has worked 18.1 innings of relief for the Tar Heels.
- With Warmoth at shortstop the Tar Heels committed no errors for just the third time this season, improving to 3-0 in those games.
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