The North Carolina baseball team fell to No. 4 Florida State 7-0 Friday night at Boshamer Stadium in the opening game of a three-game series, as the team couldn’t muster any offense against FSU right-hander Luke Weaver.
UNC’s (29-20, 13-12 ACC) best opportunity to score came in the first inning. After using a five-run first Wednesday to knock off Elon, the team was in position to strike first once again. With one out, sophomores Skye Bolt and Landon Lassiter hit back-to-back singles to bring junior shortstop Michael Russell to the plate. Russell grounded into a fielder’s choice to advance Bolt to third, and Weaver struck out Tom Zengel to end the scoring threat.
After allowing the leadoff man aboard via a hit-by-pitch and a single up the middle, sophomore ace Trent Thornton retired the next two batters and got a two-strike count on No. 9 hitter Danny De La Calle. Looking to escape the jam, Thornton threw a ball high to see if De La Calle would chase it for strike three. The ball sailed over the mitt of catcher Korey Dunbar, and both runners scored as Dunbar jogged to the backstop to retrieve the ball.
“All we're trying to do is waste that pitch with two strikes, just trying to climb the ladder and see if he'll chase one,” said coach Mike Fox. “We just climbed the ladder too high and we don't find it and there you go.”
The two runs proved to be all the Seminoles needed, as Weaver was locked in over his next six innings of work — not allowing any Tar Heel base runner to reach third and facing no more than four batters an inning.
Russell was the most notable Tar Heel to struggle at the dish. Russell finished the night 0-for-4, which snapped his 19-game hitting streak.
The Seminoles tacked on two insurance runs in both the seventh and ninth innings, as left fielder DJ Stewart drove in three runs off two doubles. The win clinched FSU its eighth consecutive Atlantic Division title.
UNC will return to Boshamer Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. with right-hander Benton Moss (3-2, 3.75 ERA) taking on righty Mike Compton (5-1, 3.16 ERA).
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