Winston-Salem, North Carolina – University of North Carolina senior first baseman Parks Haber came to bat in the fourth inning against Wake Forest on Saturday night. Seventy-five percent of those appearances ended in home runs. Each had a two-strike count. In their second straight game, the Tar Heels hit four home runs down the stretch to earn a 10-6 series victory over the Demon Deacons.
“He's a good hitter and he's in great shape right now,” coach Tom Walter said after the game. “But we've got two strikes, so we've got to pitch better. We've got to keep guys away. We've just got some balls left on the plate.
“He has too many two-strike strikes…He makes mistakes in important situations.”
It was the third of four losses in the ACC series for Wake Forest, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the preseason. Noise and pressure are increasing.
“It’s not just team noise, it’s personal noise,” Walter said. “We have players who should be high draft picks and there's pressure that comes with that. Nobody expected us to be here. [right now]”
Reliever David Falco replaced starter Josh Hartl in the fifth inning and struck out the last batter. Wake Forest trailed by one run, but Seaver King's two-run double with two outs gave them the lead.
But the next time Falco took the mound, the game changed completely in North Carolina's favor. Anthony D'Onofrio hit a double in the sixth inning, but poor defense led to a triple. The outfield route to the ball appeared to be off, as was Adam Tellier's relay.
Alberto Osuna hit a liner to King, and D'Ojurio flew home. King read the play correctly and had a good look at the at-bat, but his throw bounced far in front of catcher Tate Ballestero. The next batter was Haber, who hit his last home run of the day.
“We just couldn't get any momentum going in this series,” Walter said.
Just as all three of Harbaugh's home runs came from two strikes, so too did three important plays for Carolina in the sixth inning.
“David Falco came out and hit three batters in a row with two strikes,” Walter added. [He wasn’t] Can be executed. At the count of 1-2, he hit a slider. The count was 0-2, so it felt like I was hit with a slider. After that, he didn't hit a fastball with a count of 2-2, but Parks Harbor didn't miss it.
“We could have had a better cut and relay. I don't know if Terrier was ready to throw. He seemed hesitant…if you throw him out there, obviously that whole inning. That would change. I thought Seaver King made the right play. He hit a short hop to Tate, but it's a tough catch when you have a runner coming in there like that. But again, it's a tough catch. , if that throw is on the line, it will be an out at home plate and the entire inning will change. [too]”
Wake Forest got angry again in the eighth inning with a three-run hit by North Carolina State. Freshman Hayden Leffrew got two outs and gave Harbaugh a walk. Alex Madera hit a single. Then the home run appeared again. Luke Stephenson hit a great ball over the right field fence.
“Hayden is on the mound and throwing the ball, as good as we've seen him throw all year…” Walter said. “[He] He was late and made a bad throw, but Stevenson didn't miss it. [It’s] That's kind of where our ball club is right now. They don't miss the mistakes we made. ”
Wake Forest forced Hartl to go to the bullpen sooner than they would have liked after starting 4.2 innings. The game itself improved, giving up just two runs, but the increased pitch count forced Walter to take action. Hartl retired after throwing 96 pitches.
“Carolina did a good job of getting her pitch count up…” Walter said. “After two innings, he had just over 50 pitches. Give credit to Carolina's hitters. They have an experienced lineup and they polish their at-bats.”
Poor hitting was one of the main reasons for Friday's loss to the Tar Heels. Although the weather wasn't as bad as Saturday, Wake Forest still couldn't take advantage of its opportunities effectively.
Tate Ballestero struck out in the fourth inning, leaving two runners on, but in that inning, Wake gave up an out on a baserunning error. Jake Reinisch and Marek Houston each stranded one man in the teams' next two trips to the plate.
“We've got to get better at the plate in some of the big spots,” Walter said.
“We're not taking advantage of their mistakes.”
Like Walter said, Wake Forest didn't expect to be here. Probably very few people would have done so.
“I still think we're going to be a very good team,” Walter said. “I don't know if it's going to be tomorrow. But I think that's part of this team's journey. I think we're an NCAA Tournament team, so I think that's going to show up here.”
After Sunday, there are six games left in the ACC series, and the deadline for a turnaround is fast approaching.
“The message is to stay the course,” Walter added. “When you look back at good seasons, whether it's here or elsewhere, there were always games that were kind of defining moments, where the team wanted to win and believed they were going to win. We're still in that game. The threshold has not been exceeded.
“We are approaching such a decisive event where the tide turns and we begin to have confidence. It needs to happen soon because there is too much ground to make up at some point.”
Additional bases: Manager Tom Walter acknowledged that Michael Massie should start Sunday's final game of the North Carolina series, but he will be limited to a maximum of 60 pitches. That number “could be 30, it could be 40, it could be 50, it could be 60.” Despite pitching since Tuesday, Crawford Wade has yet to pitch. Walter said he could play in Tuesday's game against UNCG, but he said he and Hudson-Lee are “not yet progressing enough to feel confident putting them in a game.” …Walter said “confidence'' is an issue for Joe Arriola and Will Gervais right now, explaining that it's not only their individual confidence, but also the confidence of the staff that puts them in the game. did