Cox socks game-winner for UNC

Jay Cox hit the ball. And then he prayed.

OK, so maybe it was only for a split-second. And maybe he was only asking the baseball gods for a small favor.

But either way, it worked, and Cox wound up with the game-winning double in North Carolina’s 3-2 win against Virginia Commonwealth on Wednesday night at Boshamer Stadium.

BASEBALL VCU 2 UNC 3

With the score deadlocked at 2, a two-out rally by the No. 10 Tar Heels (30-8-1) had put runners at second and third in the seventh inning. But instead of sticking with Justin Webb — the player slated to bat next — Coach Mike Fox called on Cox to try to deliver a hit.

Deliver he did.

The sophomore lefty fought off a pitch on the hands by VCU pitcher Cody Eppley and managed to muscle the ball into the no-man’s land between third base and the left fielder.

As it curved toward the line, the ball looked as if it would stay airborne just long enough to touch down foul. But it somehow stayed fair, landing inches to the right of the white chalk and allowing Chase Younts to scamper home with the deciding run.

“I hadn’t had a hit in about six at bats, so I was thinking, ‘I hope I get one right here,’” Cox said. “I was praying that somebody had fixed the line down there, because that was a pretty cheap hit. But I’ll take it.”

A “cheap” game-winner seemed appropriate for a contest dominated by pitching.

UNC starter Andy Gale went six innings, allowing just two runs and striking out seven. Though he didn’t wind up with a decision, it was the freshman’s ability to escape several tight spots that ultimately put the Tar Heels in a position to win.

“A couple times he got himself in a little bit of a jam … where he had runners on and made some big pitches and came back and got a strikeout,” Fox said. “That’s where you see guys mature a little bit, when they can get in trouble and gather themselves and make good pitches when they need to when the game’s in the balance.”

And Gale wasn’t the only UNC hurler to make crucial pitches at crunch time.

Relievers Jonathan Hovis, who wound up with the win, and Matt Danford, who was outstanding out of the bullpen versus Miami on Sunday, combined to hold VCU (20-10) scoreless over the final three innings.

“When you know you have … the pitching like we have, it takes a lot of pressure off us hitters because we can go up there and relax and just drive in a couple runs,” Cox said.

But with just seven hits and three runs in the game, none of the Tar Heels was able to relax until the final out — not even when Cox’s this-close blooper dropped fair.

“We full-court pressed (Tuesday in a 19-8 win against East Carolina) and played a game in the 90s and 100s,” Fox said. “(Wednesday) we slowed it down — using a basketball analogy — and used the shot clock. But it says a lot about our team that we can win games both ways.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.