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Patrick Alvarez keeps UNC-Notre Dame scoreless with jaw-dropping home run robbery

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•04/02/23•

Jonathan Wagner

Alvarez UNC
DiamondHeels/Twitter.

North Carolina outfielder Patrick Alvarez is going to find himself on SportsCenter tomorrow morning. The UNC outfielder made a tremendous play at the wall in the fourth inning of a scoreless contest against Notre Dame on Sunday, leaping up and knocking the sure home run down before falling to the ground and coming up with the jaw-dropping catch.

The play came in the bottom of the fourth inning with a runner on first with one out. Without the heroics from Alvarez, Notre Dame would have taken a 2-0 lead. The next batter also flew out to Alvarez in left field, ending the frame scoreless.

It was a tremendous play from Alvarez, and he made even more of an impact the following half inning. In the top of the fifth with a runner on first, Alvarez hit a ball into left field that dropped down for a double. The run came in to score, giving Alvarez an RBI double and handing UNC a 1-0 lead. Colby Wilkerson later drove Alvarez in on an RBI single, giving the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead in the middle innings.

The defensive masterclass came as a welcome sight for UNC starting pitcher Connor Bovair. The play helped him get through the first four innings on just 40 pitches, and he had not allowed a hit through that point.

Alvarez making the most out of his time in UNC’s lineup

Watching Alvarez make that play might lead you to believe he’s a mainstay in the UNC lineup. That has not been the case as of late, though.

Alvarez has now played in 21 games this season with 13 starts. Entering Sunday’s doubleheader against Notre Dame, he was batting .333 on the season with one home run, five RBI, and eight walks in 48 trips to the plate. In his four-year career, he is just a .238 hitter with three home runs and 20 RBI.

Alvarez did not play in Friday’s season opener, a 10-8 win for the Tar Heels, though he did come in against Coastal Carolina on Tuesday. UNC, ranked No. 13 in the latest D1Baseball Top 25, entered Sunday with a 19-7 overall record. The Tar Heels carry a 5-3 record against ACC opponents.

The front half of Sunday’s doubleheader between UNC and Notre Dame began at 12 p.m. ET. The final game of the series will be played shortly after the conclusion of the front end of the doubleheader.