Ryan Lynch’s gem lifts UNC over VCU in regional opener
· Yahoo Sports
North Carolina’s bold pitching decision paid off Friday night.
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Head coach Scott Forbes turned to regular Saturday starter Ryan Lynch instead of ace Jason DeCaro, and the right-hander delivered seven scoreless innings in No. 5 national seed North Carolina’s 8-0 win over VCU in the opening game of the Chapel Hill Regional. Lynch allowed two hits, struck out five and threw a career-high 108 pitches, putting the Tar Heels in control of the winners bracket.
Lynch ended his outing with a flourish. On his 108th pitch, he struck out VCU second baseman Alec Warden on a 96 mph fastball. The punchout capped a dominant performance that arrived at a critical time for a UNC rotation that had struggled to provide length in recent weeks.
“I saw that same look in his face as I did late in the season last year,” head coach Scott Forbes said. “I thought he was efficient, and the stuff was just the stuff. I mean, he was throwing cheese.”
The start was a sharp turnaround from Lynch’s previous two outings against Pitt and NC State, when he failed to reach the fifth inning and allowed nine runs on 17 hits across 7.1 combined innings. He called last week’s ACC Tournament semifinal start against Pitt “inefficient,” then spent the days leading into the regional working on his delivery to give his team “a better shot.”
That work showed from the first inning. Of Lynch’s 17 pitches in the opening frame Friday, 16 were fastballs, touching 99 mph as he struck out two and set the tone. His ability to work deep into the game was exactly what North Carolina needed after its starters combined for only nine innings over three games in Charlotte.
“(Jason DeCaro)’s had a great year, but the last couple weeks we haven’t done our job,” Lynch said. “We haven’t gone really long enough, a lot of inefficient outings, not putting our team in the best spot to win.
“So I just tried to do whatever I could this week to make sure that wasn’t the case anymore — working on my delivery a little bit more, just seeing what I could do to feel better and give my team a better shot.”
Lynch’s outing also sets up UNC well for the rest of the weekend. The Tar Heels will enter Saturday’s winners-bracket matchup against East Carolina with nearly their entire pitching staff available, while the Pirates needed six pitchers — including ace Ethan Norby — to get through a 14-inning win over Tennessee.
“The more you can conserve, the better,” Forbes said. “We’re still going to have to do the little things tomorrow… They’re going to show up, they’re going to play hard, and they’re going to be ready to go.”
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Baseball: Ryan Lynch shines in regional win