North Carolina jumped on UNC-Greensboro early and never let up, taking a 12-2 win on Tuesday — but it still was not good enough for head coach Mike Fox.
Despite 12 runs on 16 hits, Fox wanted more.
“Actually we were a little disappointed, because we felt like we left (runners on) second and third like four times in a row,” Fox said. “We felt like the game should have been a little bit more out of hand, earlier than it was.”
Not only did the Tar Heels leave 11 runners on base, but all of them were in scoring position.
A four-run spurt in the bottom of the third is what finally put the game out of hand, as Garrett Davis held the Spartans at bay and allowed the Tar Heels to enlarge their lead.
The starting lineup combined for 14 hits, providing ample offense for the pitching staff as they threw a combined three-hitter.
“It’s real important to stay focused after you get up so early,” right-fielder Brian Goodwin said.
“You just have to continue to score runs and stay mentally focused. It’s easy to say ‘whatever’ and take plays off. If you do that, it opens the door for the other team to come back.”
The knockout blow was delivered by Goodwin in the third, as he tripled home two runs with a screamer down the right field line.
Of Goodwin’s three hits on the season, two have been triples.
“That’s not very many (hits),” Goodwin said with a laugh. “That is really random. It makes three hits sound a lot better, though. Geez. I’ll take it.”
Davis took care of the other side, putting together five innings of two-hit baseball.
The only blemish came on a two-run home run by Ed Jayjack in the fourth after Davis walked the leadoff hitter in the inning.
“It’s out of the way, you’ve already given up your first one,” Davis said of his mindset after the home run. “So you have nothing else to worry about.”
That was the first hit of the day for the Spartans, as they could not get much going all game long. UNC-Greensboro walked more often than they got hits — totaling three hits and five bases on balls.
The secret to Davis’ success was throwing strikes early in the at-bats. When he cruised through the first two innings, it was primarily because he was able to get ahead in the count quickly.
“The key to pitching is to get ahead of batters,” Davis said.
“If you have them where you want them, then you can throw what you want to, and they don’t know a fastball is coming. You have to keep them guessing.”
Davis was able to get ahead of batters and put them away, using 79 pitches to go five innings.
“Today was a good step for Garrett Davis,” Fox said. “Early on he had good life and had good stuff, but he got a little bit tired.
“We needed him to go five innings, and obviously he got to some three ball counts. He came back after that home run — which was important — and really attacked the next three hitters.”
Nineteen players — including nine true freshmen — saw action for the Tar Heels, as Fox took the large lead as an opportunity to get in new players.
“I saw some guys come off the bench and get some good at-bats, which means they’re staying in the game, and being positive,” Fox said.
Mike Cavasinni singled in the fifth inning to extend his career-high hitting streak to 10 games.
Contact the Sports Editorat sports@unc.edu.
