Behind offensive resurgence, UNC baseball salvages series with 8-5 win over Long Beach State

The No. 8 North Carolina baseball team relaxed on Sunday.

Snapping a losing streak will do that to you. The Tar Heels (9-3) hit the ball in key spots and made the plays they needed to defeat Long Beach State 8-5, two things they didn’t do in the first two games of the series against the Dirtbags (6-5).

“The pieces are there,” junior infielder Zach Gahagan said. “We’ve just got to put it all together.”

UNC’s offense was neutralized early, as Long Beach State held the Tar Heels to just three runs in the first two games.

Most of it was good pitching. Head coach Mike Fox said that the Dirtbag pitching staff may be as good as they see all year, noting they throw a lot of strikes, especially with the breaking ball; keep the ball low in the zone and hold runners as well.

“Hopefully this is just a bump in the road for us offensively,” Fox said. “But, I think they could really, really pitch.”

That high level of pitching left UNC in a tough spot at the plate. The Tar Heels struggled to string together hits, leaving 10 men on base in the second game.

“Hitting is contagious, and all it takes is just one good swing and it just keeps on rolling,” Gahagan said. “But this weekend, we just didn’t have that roll.”

Things corrected Sunday, when UNC got eight hits for eight runs and strung together multiple multi-run innings.

“It’s refreshing to see,” said senior outfielder Tyler Lynn, who had a two-RBI triple that put UNC ahead for good in Sunday’s contest. “It’s easier to just go out there and play.”

First-year infielder Ike Freeman agreed. He went 2-for-2 with a RBI-double and home run on Sunday.

“I’ve been hitting balls, they just find people,” Freeman said. “It’s nice for it to finally find a hole.”

The bats were not the whole story. The Tar Heel’s eight errors against the Dirtbags were four times what they had made in the season before this weekend, resulting in eight unearned runs. Long Beach State’s speed gave the infield fits, forcing quick throws that sailed away from fielders and tough plays that became infield hits.

“As mediocre as we were offensively, and again I got to tip my hat to their pitching,” Fox said. “If we play defense, we still potentially win the series.”

Fox said UNC’s bunt defense was lacking, noting mistakes from pitchers J.B. Bukauskas and Josh Hiatt on Friday. But he said a team as fast as Long Beach State creates that pressure.

For now, Fox is content with Sunday’s win, noting the experience may help UNC develop before next weekend’s series against Virginia to open conference play.

“It was a good series for us,” Fox said. “It’ll prepare us for what’s coming.”

@sjdoughton

sports@dailytarheel.com