Coyle grand slam lifts UNC to series win despite losing All-American Colin Moran to hand injury

As the North Carolina baseball team gathered in the Boshamer Stadium locker room Monday, coach Mike Fox offered a blunt assessment of the Tar Heels’ last two games.

“Moran who?”

The coach’s attempt at dry humor fell flat — at least, according to Fox himself — but it did hold a grain of truth.

The No. 5 Tar Heels (19-5, 7-2 ACC) had just closed the book on a second-straight win against rival North Carolina State, winning 7-4. And for the second-straight day, they did it without injured All-American Colin Moran.

“We’re missing one of the best hitters in college baseball … I just can’t go pluck somebody off the bench,” Fox said. “You know, this will help. You got to find a bright spot.”

A day after delivering a ninth-inning walkoff single against the Wolfpack, shortstop Tommy Coyle once again stepped into Moran’s customary three-spot in the order Monday. And once again he dealt a crushing blow.

This time it came seven innings earlier, but it proved just as decisive.

With the bases loaded, two outs and the score knotted at one in the second inning, Coyle took a pitch and launched it into the trees beyond right field.

The grand slam established a lead that the Wolfpack never encroached. More importantly, it jumpstarted a maligned lineup.

“We’d kind of been struggling with runners in scoring position lately and trying to push those runs across early,” Coyle said. “It was big for us to get a few-run cushion early.”

Moran, who fractured his right hand Saturday, left a gaping hole in UNC’s lineup, but Coyle certainly hasn’t taken long to fill it.

On Monday, the Wolfpack lent the Tar Heels a helping hand, too.

UNC scratched across a run in the first inning without the benefit of a hit, as a hit-by-pitch and two Wolfpack errors set up an RBI groundout for UNC catcher Jacob Stallings.

N.C. State starter Logan Jernigan was erratic at best Monday, working consistently into deep counts and keeping the Tar Heels uncomfortable with pitches inside.

After giving up an opposite-field single to designated hitter Tom Zengel to lead off the second, Jernigan walked third baseman Shell McCain and plunked Chaz Frank for a second time.

All those baserunners would score on Coyle’s grand slam with two outs in the inning.

“They made a couple of mistakes, and we always try to take what they give us,” Stallings said. “If they’re going to give us runs, we’ll gladly take them.”

In the seventh inning, Stallings didn’t need any help.

The senior clean-up hitter drilled a hanging slider to deep left field for a two-run shot.

With an essential member of the Tar Heel lineup out of the fold in Moran, it was certainly comforting for UNC to see the middle of its order — Coyle and Stallings — produce.

But the Tar Heels will need the rest of their team to follow suit.
“When you lose your best player, everyone has to step up,” Stallings said. “It’s not just gonna be me and Tommy all the time. It’s gonna have to be everybody.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.