North Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox warned that Saturday’s game could be far different from No. 1 UNC’s 12-4 blowout of Maryland on Friday.
He was right.
UNC came away with a 5-3 win against the Terrapins, and unlike Friday’s victory, it wasn’t a laugher by any means.
Sophomore starter Benton Moss struggled with his control from the get-go, hitting a batter and walking two more as he gave up two runs in the first inning. Moss’ day would end early with one out in the fourth inning after giving up another run and loading the bases.
Fortunately for Moss and the Tar Heels, a strong bullpen effort and a few key at-bats were enough to overcome the early deficit.
UNC scored its first run on a Parks Jordan sacrifice fly in the second inning, scored another during a rundown in the second, and after Maryland took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth, the Tar Heels responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half.
Perhaps the biggest key to the game for UNC was the team’s effort out of the bullpen. Left-hander Tate Parrish neutralized the bases-loaded situation in the fourth and then combined with right-handers Shane Taylor, Chris McCue and Trent Thornton to hold the Terrapins scoreless through the remainder of the contest.
McCue provided three of those scoreless frames in the late innings, striking out three and allowing just three hits. McCue came out in the top of the ninth to attempt the save but was pulled for Trent Thornton after giving up a leadoff double.
Typically a midweek starter, the freshman Thornton closed the door on the Terrapins, whiffing two batters for his first career save.
The final game of the series will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. with left-hander Hobbs Johnson taking the mound for the Tar Heels.
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