The North Carolina Tar Heels’ baseball program just couldn’t get past the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Terre Haute Regional.
After UNC lost to Iowa on Friday, they fought off elimination on Saturday and got another crack at the Hawkeyes on Sunday. They did manage to rally in this one and force extras but the Hawkeyes were just too much.
UNC got the scoring started early with a 2-0 lead on a Casey Cook home run in the bottom of the second.
But Iowa fought back and got a run in the top of the third and then three more in the fifth inning. That fifth-inning blow was delivered by Iowa slugger Brennen Dorighi who hit a three-run homer with two outs. After another run by Iowa in the seventh, UNC battled back.
The Tar heels got a two-run RBI double by Dylan King to cut it to 5-4.
Then, Mac Horvath did Mac Horvath things as he hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras.
Mac Horvath’s clutch game-tying homer was his 24th of the season, tying him with Devy Bell (1986) for the second most by a @DiamondHeels player in a single season.
Vance Honeycutt holds the record of 25, set last season. pic.twitter.com/B8lTjgGj1o
— Pat James (@patjames24) June 4, 2023
After both teams threw scoreless innings in the 10th, 11th and 12th, Iowa finally broke through. Micahel Seegers delivered on a two-out triple to score a pinch runner and give the Hawkeyes the lead for good.
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