UNC falls to Maine 5-3

Maine vs UNC (TarHeelBlue.com)

Besides the first game of the season the Diamond Heels had given up eight runs in four games, while in their last two outings the Heels bats had brought in 23 runs. Well, that didn’t happen in the second game against Maine (1-4) and 11th ranked North Carolina (5-1) fell 5 to 3. I had written in my last post about the Diamond Heels that leaving double digit players on the base path could come back to haunt them. In this one they left eight and it did exactly that! Junior Patrick Johnson (1-1), who pitched six innings, giving up one earned on nine hits and a walk while striking out five, took the loss for the Heels in this one.

But I am not going too concerned about the pitching as I am with the offense, who could not muster more than three runs against a team who had not won yet and the Heels had just beaten 11-1 the previous day. In all Mike Fox’ squad could get five hits, with junior left fielder Ben Bunting being the only one with multiple hits and freshman right fielder Brian Goodwin being the only Carolina player to have multiple RBIs. The 2 to 4 slots went one for eight, with a run scored a hit and an RBI altogether. That is just not going to get it done, and in yesterday’s case it didn’t. Just like it had been the case for the Heels in the last couple of games, Maine struck first blow (in the top of the first) and never looked back in this one.

From what I read on Tar Heel Blue UNC did have it’s chances though, with the best one coming late in the game, coming alive in the eighth inning after a pair of walks to began the frame. Followed by an RBI single off the bat of junior Dillon Hazlett scored one, making it 5-3. A wild pitch by Maine advanced Hazlett and Goodwin to second and third, but then the squad could not get anything else going and the inning and last chance ended there.

The series ends today at Boshamer Stadium, with first pitch being at 1:00 p.m. EST.

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