Tar Heels take down ECU in extra innings

The No. 10 North Carolina baseball team played a game of firsts against East Carolina.

After extra innings, the Tar Heels came out of it with their thirtieth win.

UNC beat the Pirates 1-0 in 10 innings on Wednesday after a brilliant pitchers’ duel.

Kent Emanuel, normally the Tar Heels’ Friday ace, made his first mid-week start of the season because the team does not play for a full week because of finals.

And Tommy Coyle, after making his team-high 19th error on Tuesday, started at second base — his natural position — for the first time. To accommodate the change, Michael Russell played at shortstop and Mike Zolk played at third, both for the first time.

Coach Mike Fox said Coyle’s struggles at shortstop led to the changes.

Chaz Frank had the walkoff hit for North Carolina. With runners on second and third, two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the tenth, Frank grounded a single up the middle off Tanner Merritt, just off the glove of the diving shortstop and into centerfield.

Frank said he was trying to hit the ball between the shortstop and second the entire at-bat.

“The whole time, I was thinking, ‘Hit the six-hole. Hit the six-hole,’” Frank said. “Finally, (Merritt) left a splitter up that I could handle.”

The entire UNC bench immediately swarmed out of the dugout and piled on Frank in the middle of the diamond.

In his first mid-week start, Emanuel was lights out into the ninth inning. He ended his night with 8.1 innings pitched, four hits, no runs, no walks and seven strikeouts.

But he was matched by East Carolina starter Jeff Hoffman, who threw seven scoreless innings of his own.

Both pitchers took advantage of a wide but consistent strike zone by home-plate umpire Barry Chambers. Hitters on both sides were called out on pitches well off the plate.

“I tried to throw it as far out there as I could,” Emanuel said. “But he was consistent, and I can’t complain if they’re consistent.

“Before one inning, he goes, ‘Do I have I big zone today?’ And I was like, ‘I wouldn’t tell you if you did.’”

It was a rougher night for the fielders at new positions. Russell made an error when he sat back on a slow chopper in the first and bobbled the transfer. Zolk threw high and wide of first on a grounder for an error in the second.

But they settled down, and the right side of the diamond was perfect.

Coyle had a solid night at second and first baseman Cody Stubbs made a potentially game-saving play in the top of the ninth.

With closer Michael Morin on to pitch for Emanuel, two outs and Tim Younger on second, Zach Wright hit a chopper up the middle. Russell tried to throw him out at first, but Wright beat the throw.

Younger tried to score on the throw. Stubbs caught Russell’s throw, wheeled and fired home.

Catcher Jacob Stallings blocked the plate and made the tag as Younger tried to dive around him headfirst and touch the plate with his left hand.

Chambers called him out on a very close play, and Younger argued the call after the inning.

“The umpire called him out,” Fox said.

Fox also said Stallings told him Younger never actually touched the plate.

Stubbs’ alert play kept the game scoreless, and Frank hit the walkoff single an inning later.
Fox said the team runs drills for that exact situation.

“We talk about that all the time,” Fox said.

“On close plays at first, don’t turn your head and look at the umpire, just catch the ball and throw it. Even if the guy’s out at first, throw the ball home. Because every time with two outs, the third-base coach is going to send that runner on a close play. I do it, everybody does it.”