Lack of offense, rough start on mound doom UNC in mid-week baseball loss against UConn
The North Carolina Tar Heels were one of college baseball's greatest stories through the first week of March, playing to a 13-0 record with series sweeps of Texas Tech and East Carolina.
Fast-forward to a Wednesday, March 19 non-conference matchup against the UConn Huskies – and you have reason to be concerned about UNC's direction.
North Carolina center fielder Kane Kepley mashed a home run to lead off the home half of the first inning, but the Diamond Heels never scored again in a 5-1 defeat.
UNC (16-5, 2-4 ACC) lost its second-consecutive game – and for the fifth time in its past eight games. North Carolina entered ACC play undefeated, but lost its first two conference series – against Stanford and at Louisville.
The Diamond Heels ended Wednesday's loss with just six total hits, which isn't conducive to winning. UNC's pitching struggled, as starter Cameron Padgett took his first loss, lasting just two innings and allowing four runs.
UConn (6-11), a rare powerhouse from the Northeast, took a second-inning lead when second baseman Bryan Padilla singled to center field. The Huskies pushed across three more runs in the third, thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies and a bases-loaded walk.
North Carolina was patient at the plate, drawing seven walks, but couldn't push those runners across home. Kepley recorded two hits to lead the Diamond Heels, while Jackson Van De Brake, Hunter Stokely, Alex Madera and Tyson Bass each recorded one.
UNC's next chance to re-discover the winning column comes Friday, March 21 at 3 p.m., with a weekend road trip at Boston College on the calendar. The Eagles (9-9, 2-4 ACC) have consecutive wins against Sacred Heart and Northeastern.
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