When Eli Sutherland led off the bottom of the seventh inning for the No. 11 North Carolina baseball team Wednesday afternoon, the Winthrop Eagles led the Tar Heels 5-3.
By the time Sutherland found himself back at the plate inside Boshamer Stadium, his team had amassed a commanding 9-5 lead, and it was still the bottom of the seventh inning.
UNC ultimately totaled eight runs in that decisive frame which proved too much for the Eagles to overcome as the Tar Heels cruised to an 11-6 victory.
In the lead off at-bat, Sutherland, one of only two seniors on a young Tar Heels' (6-1) squad, smashed the second pitch he saw over the left-field fence, giving the infielder from Kingsport, Tenn., his first career home run.
What followed was a series of five Tar Heel hits and three costly Winthrop (5-4) errors that pushed UNC ahead, with the biggest play in the sequence happening with the bases loaded and left fielder Tyler Lynn at the plate.
Lynn poked one right back to the mound, and the Eagle pitcher shoveled the ball to catcher Roger Gonzalez to get the force out at home. Gonzalez proceeded to try and throw to first base to secure a double play, but his throw sailed over the first basemen’s mitt and into right field, allowing Tyler Ramirez and Kyle Datres both to score to give UNC a 6-5 lead they would never relinquish.
Quotable
“It was nice to get a big inning, but most of it was a gift. We feel very fortunate.” — Coach Mike Fox on the errors Winthrop committed that led to the seventh-inning explosion.
