The series finale was a messy one for the North Carolina baseball team.
Plagued by errors and unable to tally hits, the No. 7 Tar Heels fell 6-0 to No. 25 Georgia Tech in their first series loss of the season.
In the first inning, North Carolina (19-4, 6-3 ACC) committed an error that granted the Yellow Jackets (18-5, 5-4 ACC) an unearned run. After a failed pickoff attempt from pitcher Jason Morgan advanced a Georgia Tech runner into scoring position, the Yellow Jackets hit an RBI single to take an early 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, it looked like an error would cost the Tar Heels again, when a dropped grounder by sophomore shortstop Logan Warmoth put another runner on base in the the third inning. But two plays later, Warmoth and junior second baseman Eli Sutherland turned a double play to escape the inning.
Yet UNC’s luck took a turn for the worse in the fifth inning, when Georgia Tech’s Kel Johnson drove the ball over the wall for a two-run home run to extend the Yellow Jackets’ lead to three.
The fifth inning was the final one for Morgan, who struggled to get into a groove on the mound. The sophomore gave up three runs — two of them earned — and allowed seven hits throughout the day. And despite striking out three batters in the fourth, Morgan faltered in the fifth and ultimately picked up the loss.
In the seventh inning, Georgia Tech's Wade Bailey homered to right field to push the lead to four. UNC committed another error later in the inning on an errant two-out throw from third base, allowing the Yellow Jackets to pile on two more runs to put the Tar Heels in a 6-0 hole.
Notable
Saturday's loss marked the second time this season the Tar Heels have been shut out. The previous shutout was a 5-0 loss to Pittsburgh on March 13.
