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The Daily Tar Heel

Baseball: Heels give up late heartbreaker to Coastal

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Closer Colin Bates struggled late for UNC" giving up five runs on three hits. Coastal?s late rally ? and three Tar Heel errors ? led to a 7-3 Tar Heel loss.

North Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox knows his team isn't going to outscore many opponents.

For weeks he has preached one thing to his players as they start their season: defense.

So when things went sour in the ninth inning of the Tar Heels' matchup with No. 18 Coastal Carolina there was one thing to blame.

Defense.

Up 3-1 at the top of the eighth inning all UNC needed was two innings of solid pitching and defensive work.

Instead" the Tar Heels gave up an eighth-inning home run to tie and four unearned runs in the ninth that gave CCU a 7-3 lead the Chanticleers wouldn't relinquish.

""Well" we didn't play defense Fox said. And we've talked about" we need to play good defense to have a chance to win.""

After seven innings of solid pitching from starter Patrick Johnson and his reliever" Brian Moran closer Colin Bates came in and things began to unravel.

First Bates gave up a long bomb on the second batter he faced sending CCU catcher Jose Iglesias and one base runner home to tie.

In the ninth inning" a bunt attempt by CCU's Taylor Motter spurred a two-base throwing error by UNC catcher Mark Fleury.

""Coach Fox always says pitching and defense is what's going to win games for us" Fleury said. And we'd won eight innings worth of a game" with five hits. …

""You know" you want to look at these guys in the face and say" I did everything I could to help my team win — and something like that happens.""

Suddenly" the tide had turned. With no outs Bates faced CCU's Tyler Bortnick with men on second and third. Bates walked him.

Then the Tar Heels' lack of defense burned them again. A fielding error by shortstop Ryan Graepel sent home the go-ahead run" and a single and a walk by Bates put Coastal Carolina up three.

""(Graepel) squibbed one" and we don't make a play Fox said. Next thing you know they've got the lead. … As good as their baseball team is" they're going to take advantage of that.""

Bates took the loss in the game after giving up five runs — only one earned — on three hits and two walks in one inning of work.

""It's hard for me not to take responsibility out there. I'm not ever going to put it on our defense"" he said of his teammates' two fielding errors.

I don't know. It was just a tough day.""

UNC's offense struggled throughout the game" recording only seven hits and leaving eight men on base.

One of UNC's few offensive highlights came from freshman second baseman Levi Michael who in the sixth inning hit the Tar Heels' first home run in the new Boshamer.

But as coach Fox stressed" offense isn't UNC's game yet.

And Michael's milestone isn't what the Tar Heels will remember from this game.

""This is going to taste bad for a while"" Fleury said. We don't like losing. Especially to those guys.""



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.


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