SBU Sports: No. 5 North Carolina baseball tops Stony Brook in Game Two of weekend series

The Stony Brook baseball team surrendered six runs in the first four innings, falling to No. 5 North Carolina in the second of three games in their weekend series on March 1 at Chapel Hill.

Erik Paulsen got the Seawolves’ offense rolling early, knocking their first hit of the game in the top of the first. Chanz Doughty followed with a walk, putting two runners on with two outs, but UNC escaped the inning unscathed.After the Tar Heels struck first in the bottom of the frame, Nico Azpilcueta kept the pressure on with a single in the second. However, North Carolina shut the door, retiring the next three batters to maintain their 1-0 lead.

UNC tacked on another run in the second and added two more in the third off Stony Brook’s starter, left-hander Nicholas Rizzo.

The Seawolves responded in the fourth, cutting into the deficit. Making his first start of the season, Matthew Jackson sparked the rally with a leadoff double to left-center and later came around to score on a wild pitch, making it 4-1.

North Carolina answered right back in the bottom half, launching a two-run homer off reliever George Adams to extend their lead to 6-1.

Paulsen opened the fifth with a base hit, but Stony Brook couldn’t capitalize. Adams settled in on the mound, retiring the Tar Heels in order in the fifth and stranding a runner at second in the sixth to keep it a five-run game.

The Seawolves had limited chances down the stretch. Jackson ripped another double in the eighth, and Azpilcueta drew a walk, but UNC kept them off the board. Adams finished strong out of the bullpen, retiring six of the final seven batters he faced over the seventh and eighth innings.