North Carolina beats UNCW on a wild walk-off in first game of Chapel Hill regional
Late Friday afternoon, before the rain forced a three-hour rain delay, North Carolina designated hitter Aaron Sabato stepped to the plate and dug his cleats into the dirt inside the batter’s box.
The scoreboard in left center field showed UNC trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and UNC-Wilmington was three outs away from upsetting the Tar Heels in the first game of the NCAA tournament’s Chapel Hill Regional.
But Sabato was having none of it. He swung at the first pitch and connected. As the ball left his red and white aluminum bat, Sabato, in his 6-2, 230-pound frame, stood still in batter’s box and watched the ball travel deep to left field.
He flipped his bat. He knew it was gone.
“That kid is unbelievable,” UNC coach Mike Fox said.
The Tar Heels had tied the game 6-6 on Sabato’s solo home run. After the three-hour rain delay, and a couple of walks, UNC won it 7-6 in the ninth after a missed squeeze attempt and Seahawks throwing error.
“Some times you just get lucky,” Fox said. “Teams make plays, some times they make them, some times they don’t. We’ll take it.”
The victory extends the Tar Heels’ winning streak to five games. The streak began at the start of the ACC Baseball Championship. After four consecutive wins, the Tar Heels won their seventh ACC title in program history. It earned them an NCAA tournament automatic bid.
This was the third time UNC (43-17) has beaten UNC-Wilmington (32-30) this season. UNC will next face the winner of the Tennessee-Liberty game Saturday at 4 p.m.
Junior infielder Ike Freeman finished the game 2 for 3 with a walk and two RBIs. Sabato finished 1 for 2 with three walks, the home run, an RBI and two runs. Junior outfielder Dallas Tessar went 1 for 3 and had a two-run home run in the bottom of the second.
That home run, Tessar’s first of the season, gave UNC an early 3-0 lead.
The Seahawks rallied. They scored a run in the fourth inning, before scoring three in the sixth. The three-run sixth inning started with UNCW outfielder Nolan Bridges launching a solo home run off UNC junior pitcher Tyler Baum over the right field wall. A few batters later, UNCW catcher Matt Suggs hit a two-run double to left field to take the lead 4-3.
The Seahawks’ lead didn’t last long.
The Tar Heels regained the lead 5-4 after Brandon Martorano’s RBI-double scored Freeman.
The Seahawks tied the game in the ninth inning after an error by second baseman Ashton McGee. He mishandled a ground ball in what likely could have been a game-ending double play. UNCW took the lead after Chris Thorburn hit a RBI-single. A close call at the plate, which was initially called out, was overturned and the Seahawks led 6-5.
But the Tar Heels had the final answer in the ninth. Sabato, the ACC Freshman of the Year, hit his 15th home run of the season to tie the game.
“I had three walks prior and I was starting to see the ball really well,” Sabato said, “and I was really just hoping for that one pitch I could get. I just put a good swing on it and it ended up going.”
When the game resumed after the three-hour rain delay, the Tar Heels loaded the bases. Freshman Danny Serretti got caught in a pickle at third base, after freshman Caleb Roberts missed the sign to lay down a bunt. Perhaps shocked at what was unfolding, third base coach Scott Forbes placed his hands on his head.
But when UNCW tried to throw Serretti out at home plate, the ball sailed over the catcher’s head into the back stop. Serretti slid into home plate and won the game. His teammates piled on top of him.
“It never felt like we were going to lose that game,” Freeman said. “The whole time, even when we were down in the ninth, it felt like we were going to win.”
The Tar Heels are now 42-2 when tied or leading after seven innings.
Baum got the start. He struggled some and gave up four earned runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. The bullpen, which was strong in the ACC Tournament, surrendered two runs in the final 3 2/3 innings.
Austin Love (7-4, 3.24 ERA), who pitched the final two innings, was credited with the win.
This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 9:05 PM.
