Baseball Loses Late Lead in Game Two Defeat at No. 7 North Carolina

Saturday, February 16

Chapel Hill, N.C.

2 PM

Xavier University

0-2

No. 7 North Carolina

2-0

Xavier

North Carolina

Baseball Loses Late Lead in Game Two Defeat at No. 7 North Carolina

02.16.19 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Xavier baseball led going into the bottom of the sixth, but No. 7 North Carolina rallied late for an 8-3 series-clinching win on Saturday at Boshamer Stadium.

The Musketeers fell to 0-2 to start the season, while UNC improved to 2-0.

XU tied the game at 1-1 in the third on an RBI single by Chris Givin and took a 2-1 lead in the fifth after a sacrifice fly by Jake Shepski. UNC roared back, however, plating multiple runs in each of the next three innings.

Xavier left nine on base in the game and is still searching for a big hit after two games that have seen the team strand 23 runners overall.

UP NEXT

• The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon at 11 a.m. at Boshamer Stadium.

XU AT THE PLATE

• Jake Shepski had a strong game, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a double. The RBI came off a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
• Chris Givin
• Andrew Sexton went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a walk and an RBI single in the ninth.
• Conor Grammes (1-for-5), Natale Monastra (1-for-4), Kody Darcy (1-for-3, R, 2B) and Jack Housinger (1-for-1) also produced hits for XU.
• Jack Housinger pinch hit in the ninth and came up with a single in his first collegiate at-bat.
• The Musketeers have stranded 23 runners over the first two games of the series.

XU ON THE MOUND

• Sophomore Nick Zwack got the start and lasted four innings, allowing just a solo home run in the first inning. The lefty worked around four hits and four walks, striking out two in his first start of the season.
• Freshman Lane Flamm tossed a scoreless fifth inning his college debut, eventually going three full innings and allowing four earned runs with a strikeout.
• Senior Matt Kent surrendered three earned runs in the eighth inning.

HOW XU SCORED

THIRD INNING | Kody Darcy doubled to left center to lead off the inning, coming around to score on an RBI single to center by Chris Givin.
FIFTH INNING | Andrew Sexton started the inning with a one out single before Chris Givin doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third with just one out. Jake Shepski batted next and sent a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Sexton and giving XU a 2-1 lead.
NINTH INNING | Ryan Altenberger walked to lead off the inning, going to third on a pinch hit single by Jack Housinger. Andrew Sexton followed with a single to right, scoring Altenberger to make it an 8-3 game.