Emanuel, UNC offense overpower Miami

DURHAM — After a pair of rough outings, North Carolina ace Kent Emanuel’s end-of-game numbers Thursday were back to what he’s accustomed to seeing.

That is, except for one.

In first-seeded UNC’s 10-0, eight-inning, mercy-rule-shortened ACC tournament win against Miami, Emanuel threw eight innings, allowed just four hits and walked two batters. But under the strikeout column, there was a rare — and as Emanuel admitted, “weird” — number.

Zero.

It’s not that Emanuel, the ACC’s Pitcher of the Year, didn’t have his good stuff Thursday. It’s just that the aggressive-swinging Hurricanes didn’t give him much of a chance to put them away.

“They were in total swing mode the whole day,” Emanuel said. “Even if I made bad pitches it seemed like they would swing and get themselves out. As the game went on, I just basically had to keep it on the edges and they were going to pop up or ground out.

“That’s probably the difference in the game, just trying to keep it from being up and over the plate.”

Much like the Hurricanes, the Tar Heels also came out swinging. But unlike Miami, they drove the ball with authority.

That contrast could be seen early.

In the bottom of the first inning, a Colin Moran single with two runners on knocked in the first UNC run against left-hander Andrew Suarez, and a two-out single from Brian Holberton plated two more to give Emanuel a three-run cushion.

Half an inning later, Miami had its own chance to score with Emanuel walking the first two Hurricane batters. The next batter, designated hitter Alex San Juan, grounded into a double play, and just like that, the rally fizzled.

For UNC coach Mike Fox, those early moments were pivotal.

“The first inning was really important for us,” Fox said. “I think the game could have really changed on two plays if we don’t get a hit there with two outs … and they don’t hit into a double play — then they get back into the game.”

Instead, the Tar Heels pulled away as Holberton and first baseman Cody Stubbs each had three-RBI days at the plate. Stubbs drove in the game-winning run with a single in the bottom of the eighth, activating the tournament’s 10-run mercy rule.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes kept swinging into outs. After giving up six runs to Virginia and five runs to Georgia Tech in his past two starts, Emanuel made fairly easy work of Miami. Five of his eight frames were 1-2-3 innings, and he didn’t allow his first hit until two outs into the fifth.

Typically a pitcher that relies on a fastball-curveball-changeup mix, Emanuel said Miami’s eagerness to swing allowed him to simplify his approach.

“I threw probably more fastballs today than I have any game this season,” Emanuel said. “I probably threw 85 percent fastballs.”

After beating eighth-seeded Miami, the Tar Heels will move on to play No. 5 seed Clemson on Friday.

Though a mismatch in terms of seeding, UNC’s win against the Hurricanes was by no means a guarantee. Miami beat UNC in the tournament a year ago and dealt UNC its first loss of the season March 15. But on Thursday, the Hurricanes simply couldn’t swing their way past Emanuel.

“It wasn’t a very good game to watch, I’m sure of that,” Miami coach Jim Morris said. “But North Carolina played a great game.

“Emanuel showed why he’s the pitcher of the year in our league.”