Michael Seegers hits RBI triple in 13th inning to give Iowa lead over North Carolina
Michael Seegers gave Iowa a 6-5 lead over North Carolina in the top of the 13th inning with an RBI, two-out triple.
Seegers smashed the offering from Dalton Pence into center field. Mac Horvath made a diving attempt at the ball but it just got past him and hopped to the wall. Blake Guerin scored on the play.
The run was huge as Sunday’s contest between the two teams as it was the difference in the game. The Hawkeyes closed out the Tar Heels in the bottom of the 13th inning, earning the right to play Indiana State in the Regional Final.
Earlier in the game, Iowa head coach Rick Heller had explained his message to the team coming into the game.
“If you don’t find a way to get it done the season’s over,” Heller said on the ACC Network broadcast of the game in the middle of the fourth inning. “All of us want to keep playing. We’re going to go out and give it our best shot, play as hard as we can and be as focused as we can and see if we can get hot.”
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Horvath had tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a home run. He had entered the game having started the regional 0-for-7 but had started turning it around Saturday.
He hit a home run in North Carolina’s win over Wright State.
“You don’t need to say much with Mac,” Tar Heels head coach Scott Forbes said. “That’s what makes him so good. He’s gonna be level headed. He works his tail off. Every hitter has struggles and he’s grown through that. He’s had his fair share like all have and that’s why he is who he is.”
The Tar Heels had been ranked by On3’s Jonathan Wagner’s as a potential sleeper to make a run to the College World Series.
“Right off the bat, North Carolina will face a tough test against the stout Iowa pitching staff,” Wagner said ahead of Regional Weekend. “But the Heels, who will be without star center fielder Vance Honeycutt, can still hit. Third baseman/outfielder Mac Horvath is one of the top hitters in the country, with a .305 average to go along with 22 home runs and 62 RBI. The depth from 1-9 in the lineup, even without Honeycutt, is still impressive. The biggest concern with North Carolina is pitching, as the staff has struggled with inconsistency throughout the season.”