USF Baseball Blows Ninth Inning Lead, Falls to No. 6 North Carolina In Extras

CHAPEL HILL - Despite holding a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the ninth, the USF baseball team dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker in ten innings to No. 6 North Carolina on a rain-soaked Saturday night in Chapel Hill.

The Bulls (3-2) grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first after Kyle Phillips drew a two-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and senior Joe Genord drove him home.

Junior righty Collin Sullivan put together another impressive start, allowing only one run on two hits in 6.2 innings of work and striking out seven.

The game remained tied 1-1 until the eighth when freshman Dylan Buck singled, advanced to second on a wild pick-off attempt and scored on a Tyler Dietrich single to put USF ahead 2-1.

In the home half of the eighth, the Tar Heels (5-0) loaded the bases but reliever Ben Koff and the Bulls escaped when Genord impressively picked a one-hopper at first base.

With junior transfer Nelson Alvarez on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, UNC’s Ike Freeman sent the very first pitch over the wall in left to tie it 1-1.

After the Bulls went quietly in the top half of the tenth, Alvarez allowed another homer on the first pitch of the home half to give the Tar Heels a walk-off victory.

The series wraps up on Sunday morning with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Alec Wisely is expected to get the start for USF in Game 1.