The North Carolina baseball team fell to Notre Dame on Saturday, 11-8, in 10 innings after a five-run surge for UNC in the bottom of the seventh inning.
What happened?
The Tar Heels trailed early in the game, as they fell behind 2-0 in the first inning after allowing a two-run home run. UNC got on the board in the bottom of the second when Dallas Tessar hit a double to set up Mikey Madej to score Tessar moments later. North Carolina tied the game at two runs a piece in the bottom of the fourth inning when Tessar scored again on a passed ball.
Will Sandy, who started for UNC, came out during the top of the fifth with the game tied at 2-2. Sandy finished the afternoon with four strikeouts before being replaced by redshirt first-year Max Alba. Alba’s stint on the mound was short, as he was taken out for Austin Love during the top of the sixth inning. The Tar Heels then allowed an RBI from David LaManna to score two runners, falling behind 4-2.
The deficit grew in the seventh. Notre Dame scored on a hit by Zack Prajzner that scored Niko Kavadas, which was followed immediately by a home run that scored three runners to make the score 8-3 in favor of the Fighting Irish.
North Carolina matched Notre Dame’s scoring flurry with one of its own. After UNC got three runners on base with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, Joey Lancellotti singled to third base to score Aaron Sabato. With the next batting appearance, first-year catcher Will Stewart hit to center field to score Danny Serretti and Angel Zarate. Everything came full circle for Lancellotti, who scored on a hit by Tyler Causey that also scored Stewart.
Down just one heading into the eighth inning, Davis Palmero, who replaced Love in the seventh inning, did not give up any runs or hits to keep the game at 8-7. On the other end, Sabato tied up the game on an unearned run from a Lancellotti hit.
Both teams went scoreless in the ninth inning, which sent the game into extra innings.
Notre Dame scored three runners from a hit by Eric Gilgenbach to go ahead 11-8. UNC had an opportunity to respond in the bottom of the tenth, but could not capitalize. With two outs and one runner on base, Tessar was fielded out and Notre Dame secured the win.