Tar Heels put out Flames with 6-4 win

A weakened Tar Heel squad fought — there was no choice.

The No. 16 North Carolina baseball team was without three of its key players Monday night but was still able to edge out a 6-4 win against the Liberty Flames.

The Tar Heels were missing outfielder Skye Bolt, infielder Wood Myers and catcher Korey Dunbar in the game.

Both Bolt and Dunbar missed the game due to academic responsibilities, while Myers missed the game for violating team rules.

All three absentees have been big for the Tar Heels so far this season. Myers and Bolt had started all nine games before Monday and Myers had posted a .400 batting average during that same span. Dunbar had started five of the Tar Heels' first nine games.

“We missed them in the lineup,” said freshman infielder Zach Gahagan. “But we try not to let those things affect us in the game and hopefully we will have them back next game.”

The shorthanded Tar Heels needed to look to their other players to step up in the wake of the absences.

“It gave other kids an opportunity,” Coach Mike Fox said. “Give kids a chance to step up big for (us).”

“It fired us up,” said senior pitcher Trevor Kelley. “Whenever anyone goes out it opens up an opportunity. You've got guys working hard and coming off the bench, that’s all you can ask for.”

As for the game, UNC committed several errors that helped put runs on the board for the Flames. The Tar Heels committed two errors and had a wild pitch in the first inning, adding on another run-allowing error in the eighth inning.

“We gave them a couple runs,” Fox said. “But we played well defensively and made plays when we had to.”

A key to UNC’s victory was relief pitching from Kelley, who pitched 5.1 innings and held Liberty hitless the first full five innings he pitched.

A personal milestone took place in the fourth inning, when Gahagan hit his first home run — a solo shot —  for the Tar Heels.

“We pitched well and got some timely hits,” Fox said. “Young guys stepped up.”

The Tar Heels were happy to finally have this game under their belts and now look forward to returning to a normal schedule. Several waves of rescheduling took place over the past few weeks due to weather.

“It was difficult to have to be in the bus for three hours to find warmer places to play,” Kelley said. “We’ll be more consistent and not have to worry about snow. 

"It will be a lot better to be playing at the Bosh.”

sports@dailytarheel.com