The North Carolina baseball team bounced back from three straight losses to defeat Long Beach State 8-5 on Sunday afternoon.
What happened?
UNC’s offense got to work early. Logan Warmoth doubled down the left field line and scored a batter later when Ashton McGee singled up the middle. McGee would score three batters later when senior Tyler Lynn smacked a hit into center field for an early 2-0 lead for the Tar Heels (9-3).
Long Beach State (6-5) got onto the board in the top of the fifth with a string of three straight base hits that scratched across a run. The third hit was an attempted squeeze bunt by Laine Huffman that he beat out for a single. A walk loaded the bases for the Dirtbags and chased starter Jason Morgan.
Redshirt-sophomore Rodney Hutchinson came on in relief and got a ground ball, but a wide throw to first made it past first-year Michael Busch, scoring two runs and giving Long Beach a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of half of the fifth, two walks and a hit by pitch around a fielder’s choice loaded the bases for the Tar Heels. Kyle Datres grounded out to first to score the tying run. Senior Tyler Lynn followed up with a rocket down the right field line for a triple to score two runs as UNC took a 5-3 lead. First-year Ike Freeman pinch-hit Lynn home with a double off the left field fence for his first career hit. Freeman scored on a throwing error as UNC left the fifth inning leading 7-3.
Freeman tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when he lead off the inning with a shot just over the left field wall to give UNC a 8-3 lead.
Long Beach State was able to load the bases in the top of the ninth and plated two runs with a two-out single up the middle. However, the Dirtbags were unable to push anymore across and UNC won their first of the weekend.