North Carolina was able to host its 13th NCAA Regional tournament in Chapel Hill over the weekend, and fan support for the Tar Heels hasn’t wavered for a moment.
Facing a win-or-go-home scenario against LSU on Monday after falling to the Tigers 8-4 on Sunday, UNC head coach Scott Forbes took a moment to thank the fans for showing out in droves to watch their team play on Bryson Field.
“Man, I’ll tell you what. Our fans have really come out,” Forbes told the ESPN2 broadcast. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it like this. You see it down the line behind the fence in the field hockey stands. And these guys, they deserve it. It’s been a special team. They’re just an awesome group to pull for, there’s no doubt about it. The fans, I think they appreciate how to play for sure.”
After five innings, the Tar Heels trailed the Tigers 3-2 thanks to the strong pitching performance of LSU’s Will Hellmers. After 4.2 innings pitched, he hadn’t allowed a run, gave up just three hits and struck out 25 percent (4/16) of the batters he had faced to that point.
Forbes explained the message he sent to his offense to try and combat Hellmers’ strong day on the mound.
“When a guy’s gonna well like this, we’re gonna match them on the mound,” he said. “We’re just gonna keep plugging with our bats and try to get a couple of base runners. Somebody’s gotta hit one in a gap or over the wall.”
Hellmers held the Tar Heels hitless during the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, retiring nine North Carolina batters in a row. However, UNC second baseman Alex Madera broke that streak after belting a single to right field to begin the inning.
You can watch the exciting finish to the Chapel Hill Super Regional live on ESPN2.
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