A disastrous start against Auburn (38-26, 14-16 SEC) in Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional led to a season-ending 14-7 loss for the North Carolina baseball team (46-19, 17-13 ACC) on Monday.
The Tar Heels gave up 13 runs in the top of the first, making for the second-highest scoring inning in NCAA tournament history.
What happened?
UNC’s nightmare first inning began with sophomore pitcher Joey Lancellotti walking the first four batters he saw, giving the Tigers the easiest run of the weekend before the game’s first out was recorded.
Lancellotti quickly came off the mound for first-year Connor Ollio, who wasn’t able to make things much better. Ollio allowed four runs thanks to a pair of singles and a bunt, giving Auburn a 5-0 lead.
Ollio was in turn pulled for redshirt senior Hansen Butler, who gave up a three-run shot to right field to the first batter he faced. A pair of singles and a fielding error by second baseman Ashton McGee meant another three runs with Butler on the mound. Butler was replaced by first-year Will Sandy, who came on with two outs facing an 11-0 deficit.
Before the third out was delivered, bringing the hour-long half-inning to an end, the Tigers found two more runs with a single from Matt Scheffler. By the time an Auburn baserunner was tagged for the third out, the Tar Heels had dug themselves a 13-0 hole.
In the fourth inning, McGee cut into Auburn’s lead with a three-run shot to right field, but it proved not to be enough for a full-fledged comeback.
After another RBI single from Auburn, UNC managed four more runs – a pair of homers from Aaron Sabato and an RBI groundout from Jackson Hesterlee – but it was too little, too late. UNC’s season came to an end with a 14-7 drubbing.
