In Game 3 of its ACC-opening series against Pittsburgh on Sunday, the North Carolina baseball team tried to rely on the same things that led them to an 11-1 record to start the season — strong pitching, small ball and a "never say die" attitude.
But as the game wore on, the pillars that helped build a strong start for the Tar Heels just weren't there. The pitching was shaky, as was the offense, and at the end of the day, UNC found itself on the wrong end of a 5-0 shutout.
Sophomore pitcher Jason Morgan started on the mound for the Tar Heels (11-2, 2-1 ACC). The first batter he faced laid down a bunt and legged out a single, but the right-hander retired the next three batters to end the inning.
In the top of the third inning, Morgan got into trouble again. After allowing consecutive singles to begin the frame, his next pitch veered inside and struck a Panthers' (7-6, 1-2 ACC) batter, loading the bases with no outs. The sophomore was able to work out of the jam, however, striking out the next batter and getting the next two to fly out to right field.
Over the next two innings, the wheels fell off for Morgan. With one out in the top of the fourth inning, the pitcher gave up a single, hit a batter and gave up a home run in three consecutive at-bats. In the fifth inning, he allowed two more runners to reach base before he was relieved by lefty Hunter Williams.
Pittsburgh tacked on two more runs with Williams on the mound in the inning, putting the Panthers up 5-0, where the score would remain for the rest of the day.
At the plate, North Carolina simply could not get anything going. The Tar Heels didn't get their first hit until the fourth inning, and struggled to move runners over once they eventually got on base. UNC tallied just six hits on the day — all singles — in arguably its worst offensive performance of the season.
Quotable
"They have to learn. Young teams have to learn that each game is its own separate entity here. That's just the way baseball works. You just don't build momentum in baseball. You just don't ... It just shows you how hard it is to sweep in this league." — Coach Mike Fox on his team's performance Sunday.
