Tar Heels rally for second-straight walk-off win against Oklahoma State

Another day, another walk-off win for the No. 14 North Carolina baseball team.

After first-year infielder Kyle Datres drove in sophomore Brian Miller in the bottom of the ninth to give the Tar Heels an opening game victory against Oklahoma State on Friday, Miller returned the favor Saturday.

With one out and the bases loaded, Miller singled through the infield, driving in freshman Brandon Riley to give UNC a 7-6 win over the Cowboys.

The walk-off victory was the culmination of a gritty effort by North Carolina (4-1) to bounce back after sophomore starter J.B. Bukauskas gave up a first-inning grand slam to Oklahoma State (2-4) first baseman Dustin Williams. Bukauskas struggled to command his fastball through 2 1/3 innings for UNC, and allowed five earned runs on six hits, while walking two batters and hitting another.

But the North Carolina bullpen pitched admirably after getting the call earlier than usual. Five pitchers combined to allow just one run over the final 7 2/3 innings. Spencer Traynor, Hunter Williams and A.J. Bogucki combined for 4 2/3 innings without allowing a hit.

Offensively, first-year catcher Cody Roberts led the way for UNC, going 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI. He also made an impact on the game with his speed — a somewhat unusual attribute for a catcher — by stealing second during the fifth inning, which led to a wild throw and allowed Ryder Ryan to score from third.

While Coach Mike Fox said he was less than thrilled with his team’s offensive showing after the game, the Tar Heels did manage to draw 10 walks compared to six strikeouts. With the win Saturday, UNC solidified the series victory and has taken its first two series against a pair of top teams.

Quotable

“I thought our bullpen, obviously, was the key. Our bullpen was the strength of our team today because I thought we didn’t play very well offensively... So that’s good. You can’t script (close games) in practice and you’ve got to be able to throw those kids out there, the young ones, in a game like this. And so far they’ve responded.” — Fox on his bullpen’s performance.

Notable

Datres and Roberts combined to hit .500 (5-for-10) on the day for UNC, accounting for more than half of the team's total hits and three of five total RBI. Given the number of questions this UNC lineup entered the season with, it is encouraging for Fox that these first-year players have started off so well. 

Three numbers that matter

67: The number of pitches that Bukauskas threw in his 2 1/3 innings of work. The sophomore right-hander worked from behind in the count for much of his outing thanks to shaky fastball command. He averaged just over four pitches per batter faced (16), while walking two and hitting one on the way to allowing five earned runs.

8: The number of batters UNC left on base. While the Tar Heels still managed the win, Fox might have been referring to this number as one of the opportunities that were missed Saturday afternoon.

0: The number of Tar Heel errors, compared to Oklahoma State’s two. Fox was pleased with how his team played defensively today, and an intelligent play and strong throw from shortstop Logan Warmoth from the left field grass during the top of the tenth inning helped prevent the Cowboys from scoring. 

“That play that he made might have saved us the game,” Fox said.

What’s next?

The Tar Heels will look to complete the three-game sweep of Oklahoma State at 12 p.m. on Sunday.

@CarlosACollazo

sports@dailytarheel.com