Instead of completing a sweep, the No. 10 North Carolina baseball team dropped the final game of its series against Miami on Sunday at Boshamer Stadium, 6-2. UNC (18-6, 6-3 ACC) went through six pitchers and allowed a season-high six runs to the Hurricanes (11-13, 4-5 ACC).
What happened?
It felt like Cole Aker’s day was over before it even started.
UNC’s sophomore righty starter left the game after throwing just eight first-inning pitches. He hit the first batter he faced and walked the second. Rodney Hutchison, another sophomore righty, replaced him.
James Davison, the batter that Aker hit, stole third base and then scored after an errant throw by sophomore Cody Roberts. UNC left three runners on base in a scoreless first.
There wasn’t another score until the top of the fourth. Miami’s Gregory Veliz hit an RBI triple — the first of his career — and the Hurricanes had a 2-0 lead.
The Tar Heels missed another opportunity in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore right fielder Brandon Riley lead off with a single, and Roberts followed that up with one of his own. But two outs later, both were stranded and UNC was still scoreless.
North Carolina went to its bullpen again in the sixth, bringing in first-year righty Austin Bergner. UNC used two more pitchers to no avail. Five consecutive batters reached base for Miami, which tripled its lead to 6-0 at the end of the inning.
UNC broke through in the seventh. After a Miami pitching change, RBI singles from first-year infielder Michael Busch and junior shortstop Logan Warmoth gave North Carolina life.
