Taylor twirls a gem as UNC sweeps Duke

DURHAM — Shane Taylor didn’t expect to start Sunday.

He didn’t even know it was a possibility until North Carolina’s pre-game meal.

But with lefty Hobbs Johnson saddled with a 102-degree fever, the Tar Heels turned to Taylor — a sophomore reliever — to chew up some innings on the mound.

The start was unexpected for Taylor. The result was unexpected for everyone else.

Dominant, aggressive, unrelenting — Taylor carved through a helpless Duke lineup from the get-go, striking out five of the first seven batters he faced.

Through eight innings, Taylor allowed just one hit, struck out eight batters and delivered UNC the ACC Coastal Division title on a platter as the Tar Heels capped off a sweep of Duke with a 3-0 victory.

“I didn’t see that coming,” said coach Mike Fox on Taylor’s outing. “I didn’t see eight innings of one-hit ball coming. I mean, but Shane’s been really good for us the last couple times out. We really like the way he’s kind of picked it up a notch — a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more confident.”

On Sunday, Taylor took that same aggressive bullpen mentality and applied it to his start. He’d only started two games prior to Sunday, one of which came last season. But if there was an adjustment period, you’d be hard-pressed to find it.

“I didn’t change my mindset, and (pitching coach Scott) Forbes told me not to do that,” Taylor said. “He told me just get loose like I normally do and just attack like I’m coming out of the pen because that’s what I’m used to doing.

“I prepared myself as if I was going to start when he told me at the pre-game meal today that Hobbs might not be able to go, so by the time he told me when we got to the field today, I was ready.”

And he proved it.

Six of Taylor’s eight frames were 1-2-3 innings. And the one hit he allowed was a line drive off the bat of Jeff Kremer that ricocheted off the leg of a Duke baserunner.

It wasn’t a conventional hit by any means — the baserunner was called out on interference — but Taylor doesn’t believe it was a fluke.

“I threw a fastball over the middle … and he hit the ball hard,” Taylor said. “It would’ve been a hit through the hole if the guy wasn’t there, so it’s a legitimate hit.”

For a while, though, the Tar Heels struggled to get hits of their own. Duke starter Robert Huber matched Taylor zero for zero on the scoreboard until the eighth inning when back-to-back singles by Colin Moran and catcher Jacob Stallings set up a two-out rally.

UNC finally broke through when pinch-hitter Mike Zolk drilled a ball against the 32-foot-high Durham Bulls Athletic Park wall in left field to drive in Moran. Then designated hitter Brian Holberton followed that up with a two RBI single to pad the lead at three.

“Give to credit to Mike Zolk. The kid’s sat on the bench since Moran came back (from injury). And he hasn’t pouted. He’s kept a great attitude,” Fox said.

“I kept telling him, ‘Your time’s gonna come. You’re going to get in there at some point.’ And that’s a great testament to being ready, and I’m very happy for him.”

But the story of the game — as it had been throughout the series — was the pitching. With the shutout on Sunday, the Tar Heels only allowed Duke to score twice in three games.

Undoubtedly, Taylor delivered the most dominant performance of the series, and perhaps the season, but he’s taking it all in stride.

“I can’t get too high,” Taylor said. “I just have to think about what I did well, think about what I did bad and keep working, stay focused and can’t think too much about this start.”

That shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, it was a start he never expected to make.