They made things interesting with some questionable defense in the eighth inning, but North Carolina finally pulled out a Game 1 win in their NCAA Baseball Super Regional against the Stanford Cardinal, winning by a final score of 5-2 after strengthening their lead late.
NCAA Baseball Super Regionals 2011, North Carolina Vs. Stanford Final Score, Game 1: UNC Baseball Grabs Win
Starting pitchers Mark Appel and Patrick Johnson both put in fantastic performances, as they both threw well enough to earn shutouts. However, both teams had some bad defense, while Appel had a bit of bad luck. North Carolina scored the opening run in the second inning on series of defensive errors, then made it 3-0 when Seth Baldwin hit an impressive opposite way home run off Appel in the seventh inning. Johnson was pulled in the eighth inning with two runners on base, and a defensive error by Levi Michael allowed two runs to score, bringing Stanford back within one run.
UNC would put the game beyond doubt in the bottom of the eighth, though, as they scored two more insurance runs. Michael Morin finished the game off in the ninth inning, and UNC took Game 1 of the series by a final score of 5-2.
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