UNC Baseball: Diamond Heels win wild one vs UNCW

A wild ending helps the UNC Baseball team move to 1-0 in the Chapel Hill regional

It wasn’t easy and at times it was frustrating but the North Carolina Tar Heels are off to a good start in the Chapel Hill regional thanks to a 7-6 comeback win over UNC-Wilmington on Friday night.

The Diamond Heels got off to a hot start, grabbing a 3-0 lead with starter Tyler Baum on the mound.

They appeared to be in cruise control until about the sixth inning when they ran into some trouble holding a 3-1 lead. The Hawks put up a 3 spot in the top of the sixth just a half inning after UNC stranded the bases loaded after a questionable strike three call with a full count. The call went UNCW’s way and they took advantage.

Matt Suggs has the big hit in the inning, ripping a double off the wall to score two runs and give UNCW a 4-3 lead. Hansen Butler was able to get out of the inning with no more damage.

It didn’t take UNC long to answer back however.

They plated two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh with Ike Freeman’s RBI single and then Brandon Martorano’s two-out RBI single scored Freeman to give UNC the 5-4 lead.

The Hawks weren’t done though.

With Austin Love on the mound the Tar Heels held on to a one run lead in the ninth. UNCW scored the tying run with one out and then followed it up by taking the lead on a single and close play at the plate.  A umpire review reversed the call to safe and gave UNCW a 6-5 lead.

It didn’t take UNC long to tie the score again in the bottom of the ninth. On the very first pitch, Aaron Aaron Sabato crusher the first pitch for a solo home run to tie it. The game then went into a lighting delay for over an hour before UNC was able to push home the winning run on what was a very unusual play.

UNC got caught in a run down before UNCW threw the ball away at home, allowing the game-winning run to cross the plate:

The win moves UNC to 1-0 in the regional and advances them to the night cap of Saturday’s game vs. the winner of Tennessee and Liberty.

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