Inconsistency Troubles Tar Heels

UNC's pitching dug itself into a hole early and often during the weekend, and it simply seemed like the Tar Heels were playing catch-up for most of their three-game series with Duke.

Overall, eight pitchers were shuffled on and off the mound, 39 hits were given up and Sunday's rubber match was won by the Blue Devils.

"It's hard to describe," UNC coach Mike Fox said. "If I had a crystal ball and could pick out which one was going to be good that day, this would easy."

Friday and Sunday saw the Tar Heels dig themselves into very early holes. Friday's starter Dennis Robinson only lasted 2/3 innings as he gave up five hits and surrendered six runs (two earned). Duke had a 7-0 lead before UNC even got on base in the second inning.

The Tar Heels did come back to win Friday's game 10-7 with relief help from Scott Autrey and Jason Howell. Autrey's 5 2/3 innings of work allowed UNC to keep pace with Duke. Howell worked the final 2 2/3 innings to get the win.

"(Autrey) came in and shut it down for us, and that was really big," UNC left fielder Sean Farrell said.

The ebb and flow of the pitching squad continued Saturday as Ralph Roberts took the mound for UNC. He worked three scoreless innings, as the Tar Heels, for the only time in the series, jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Roberts saw Duke's bats begin to blister his pitches. He gave up 10 hits and saw seven runs cross the plate (six earned). Kevin Brower came in to relieve, but he didn't fare much better. Brower surrendered six hits and two runs in his two innings of work. The result was eight unanswered runs, as the Blue Devils capped a 9-7 win with 18 singles.

"I got behind, which I shouldn't do," Roberts said. "(The singles) just kind of wear you down."

Sunday's finale saw Daniel Moore get the start for UNC, but he found himself and his team digging themselves a hole once again. Moore's 2 1/3 innings saw Duke smack six hits and score three runs.

Robinson made his way back to the mound in relief, and he fared better than he had Friday. Still, Duke slapped three more hits and scored another run, which was the difference in the series.

"We were pretty confident coming into this series," Robinson said. "We just didn't have the command we had in the past couple of weeks."

Pitching command was shown by another UNC pitcher, as Whitley Benson provided another bright spot of the Tar Heels staff.

He pitched Saturday, working 2 1/3 innings. He allowed zero runs and two hits. Benson saw more work Sunday, as pitched 4 2/3 innings, scattering two hits and striking out two. More importantly, he kept the Duke score column at zero.

"(Getting down) puts more pressure on us because we've been doing that throughout the year," Benson said. "It's disappointing, but we're young, and we're learning."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.