Pitt Shuts Out No. 6 UNC Baseball to Avoid Sweep

Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium, the No. 6 UNC baseball team found that all good things must come to an end.

Entering the day with an 11-game win streak—the longest in the nation—the Tar Heels saw their bats fall flat in a 5-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers in the series finale between the teams.

A towering three-run homer in the fourth inning by Pitt designated hitter Ron Sherman off UNC starting pitcher Jason Morgan put the Tar Heels into an unfamiliar situation—as it was the first time they had trailed by that many runs all season.

UNC righty Jason Morgan struggled to find his control against the Pitt lineup–giving up 5 ER in 4.1 IP. (Joe Bray/ UNC Athletics)

Morgan—a 6-foot-6 right-hander–was pulled the next inning after allowing a pair of baserunners that eventually scored against reliever Hunter Williams.

UNC head coach Mike Fox was disappointed with the way his pitching staff was unable to put away the Pittsburgh hitters in two-strike counts.

As a team the Tar Heels struck out just five hitters, three by Morgan (1-1).

“We didn’t get a good start from Jason Morgan,” Fox said afterwards. “I don’t think he had any good command. We got to two strikes with Sherman [in the fourth inning], tried to throw a breaking ball to get a strikeout, left one up, and to his credit he hit it out.”

Despite the loss, the team is still 12-2—a respectable record by any standard.

The Tar Heels just weren’t able to string together hits when they needed them, going 1-for-14 with runners on base and 0-for-8 with men in scoring position.

Junior outfielders Tyler Ramirez and Adam Pate each had a pair of hits, but it wasn’t enough against Pitt’s Josh Falk and Garrett Wrambel (1-0)—who each threw four innings and change to complete the shutout.

Junior right fielder Adam Pate was one of two Tar Heels to pick up two hits in the game. (Joe Bray/ UNC Athletics)

“We never could get the big hit just to break open and scratch for a run or two,” Fox said. “It’s the nature of baseball. You don’t think you’re gonna go into Sunday and get shutout or shut anybody else out.”

With only three upperclassmen in his starting lineup, Fox has talked often about his team needing to face adversity and endure some tough games.

Riding a long winning streak was the result of some great performances and some days where the ball bounced in the right places.

Sunday things didn’t fall the right way, but nobody in the Tar Heel locker room was too discouraged.

“You just don’t build momentum in baseball,” Fox said. “You just don’t. Yesterday’s game is over, it all starts with that new guy on the mound and it’s 0-0.

“It just shows you how hard it is to sweep in this league,” the coach continued. “Nobody’s gonna back down.”

Up Next:

Sunday marked the end of an 11-game homestand for the Tar Heels, who will travel to Greenville for a matchup with East Carolina on Tuesday.

Game Notes:

Even though UNC struck out just five batters all game, Pitt struck out just two Tar Heels (one each for Falk and Wrambel.)
Brian Miller, the sophomore first baseman for the Tar Heels, went 0-for-3 with a walk–but picked up his eighth stolen base in as many tries this season.
Sophomore Brett Daniels pitched the final three innings in relief for UNC, allowing just one hit and no runs.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Pitt Shuts Out No. 6 UNC Baseball to Avoid Sweep

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