The North Carolina baseball team (5-0) defeated South Florida 3-2 in dramatic fashion on Saturday, claiming victory in a rain-delayed game that was forced to 10 innings.
What happened?
The game started with South Florida (3-2) scoring in the first inning after Kyle Phillips was walked by UNC starting pitcher Gianluca Dalatri. Dalatri then threw a wild pitch to Joe Genord, allowing Phillips to advance to second, before a single by Genord batted the runner in. Dalatri recovered from the shaky start to give up just two hits in the next 14 plate appearances, holding the Bulls to just a one-run lead.
In the bottom of the third, UNC junior Ashton McGee doubled for the Tar Heels’ first hit of the game. After advancing to third, McGee then scored to tie the game after a sacrifice fly by junior outfielder Dylan Harris.
In the eighth inning, South Florida retook the lead on an unearned run by Dylan Buck, when an error allowed him to move to second and score after a USF single. UNC junior Ike Freeman hit a home run to tie the score at the bottom of the ninth, forcing the game to extra innings. The game was finished off by Harris with a walk off home run in the tenth inning.
Who stood out?
Dalatri pitched seven innings, surrendering only two hits and one run in that time. The 7.1 IP was the most he pitched since his first-year season, and his nine strikeouts were the most since he struck out 15 batters in just the second game of his career. Both Freeman and Harris came through in the late innings with clutch home runs, Freeman to extend the game and Harris to close it out.
When was it decided?
The score remained within one all the way through the ninth inning. With two outs in the eighth, North Carolina was poised to take the lead after Michael Busch was intentionally walked and Jackson Hesterlee was hit with a pitch. First-year Caleb Roberts took the next at bat, but grounded out.
