After battling Fairfield for 13 innings on Friday, the North Carolina baseball team got the job done today almost two hours faster.
In what Coach Mike Fox called UNC’s most complete game of the season, the Tar Heels cruised to a 10-2 win over the Stags in game two of the series.
UNC (8-1) did some damage right away, as center fielder Tyler Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Brian Miller and give the Tar Heels a lead they would not relinquish.
Meanwhile, sophomore J.B. Bukauskas dominated on the mound, throwing seven strikeouts in the first four innings to hold Fairfield (3-2) scoreless. When the Stags had a couple of runners on base in the top of the second inning, senior Eli Sutherland picked up a grounder and tagged a runner out before slinging the ball to first base to complete the double play.
When he went up to bat in the next inning, Sutherland drove a ball over the left wall for a two-run home run. Later in the inning, Miller slid into home on a double-steal with freshman Kyle Datres to put the Tar Heels up 4-0.
The Tar Heels picked up four more runs in the third inning. Brandon Riley whacked a double to right field to send junior Tyler Lynn and sophomore Logan Warmoth home. A sacrifice fly from Sutherland let Riley score, and Adam Pate picked up an RBI-single to extend UNC’s lead to eight.
Fairfield picked up two runs in the top of the fifth inning. But Riley answered by knocking an RBI-triple to right center in the bottom of the frame. He went on to score off of a sacrifice fly by Sutherland, which pushed the Tar Heels lead to eight.
As the Stags struggled with an eight-run deficit, North Carolina’s relief pitchers got comfortable at the mound and squashed any attempts at a comeback. In the top of the eight inning, junior Zach Rice threw three consecutive strikeouts. They were the only three runners Rice faced on the day.
With Fairfield’s offense paralyzed by the bullpen. the Tar Heels coasted through the final innings to close out the day with the victory.
