North Carolina
Seton Hall
Tar Heels Take Home Opener, 10-5
February 25, 2011 | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina improved to 5-0 on the season as freshman Colin Moran paced the offense to a 10-5 win over visiting Seton Hall Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. Moran finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, including his first collegiate home run. Levi Michael added three RBI for the Tar Heels, while Chris Munnelly notched his first win of the year.
Seton Hall struck first in the top half of the first inning when Will Walsh took a Chris Munnelly offering out of the ball park over the right field fence to give the Pirates a quick 2-0 lead.
Carolina struck back in the bottom half of the first when Levi Michael laced a ball up the middle to score Ben Bunting who reached via error to open the inning.
Tommy Coyle and Levi Michael put Carolina in front in the bottom half of the second as they each tallied a pair of RBI. Coyle drove in Chaz Frank and Jesse Wierzbicki who reached on a walk and a single, respectively. Michael followed Coyle with a two-run double to left center that put Carolina in front 5-1 heading to the third.
The Pirates pulled one back in the third before Tom Zengel drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Chaz Frank followed with a double to right center that plated another run to up the lead to four (7-3).
Carolina and Seton Hall traded runs in the fourth as Colin Moran doubled in a run for the Tar Heels before a scoreless fifth inning. The bottom of the fifth had the potential to be a breakout inning for the Tar Heels as they loaded the bases with two outs but were unable to break the game open.
Starter Chris Munnelly walked the leadoff man in the top of the sixth but was able to get back-to-back punchouts as he appeared to get himself out of trouble but a single to right center put runners at the corners and ended Munnelly's day.
The Pirates would pick up a RBI single to cut the lead to 8-5 before Shane Taylor came on to shut the door as he forced a line out to shortstop Levi Michael for the third and final out of the sixth.
Colin Moran quickly made the score 9-5 in favor of the Tar Heels in the bottom of the seventh when he connected on his first career home run, a solo shot to right field. Following a walk to Jacob Stallings and a double down the right field line by Seth Baldwin, Jesse Wierzbicki drove a pitch to right field just deep enough to score Stallings and up Carolina's lead to 10-5.
Taylor allowed two hits over scoreless seventh and eighth innings as he helped keep the Pirates in check, while fellow freshman Kent Emanuel threw a scoreless ninth to close out the ball game.
Eight different hitters tallied a hit in the game, while Colin Moran, Levi Michael, Jesse Wierzbicki and Chaz Frank each contributed two or more hits. Moran, Michael and Coyle each finished with two or more RBI as well.
The Tar Heel bullpen shined once again as they did not allow a run in the final three innings for the third time on the year. The bullpen has yet to allow more than one run in the final three frames of any game this season.
The Tar Heels and Pirates will match up once again on Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m.
