BY STEVE HANF
SALISBURY POST

ROCKHILL, S.C. — It was typical Daniel Moore, blazing fastballs past batters and picking a runner off base.

It wasn’t typical Daniel Moore, serving up two long homers to left-handers and allowing 10 hits.

Tuesday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, it was Daniel Moore — the freshman pitcher for North Carolina playing against some experienced and talented opponents.

“I felt I threw pretty well. Made some good pitches, made some bad pitches,” Moore said following an 11-8 loss to Wake Forest.“In this league, and especially in this tournament when everybody’s seen a lot of pitches, they’re not going to let a mistake float on past.”

Moore likely finished up his freshman season at North Carolina in last night’s first-round game against the No. 3 Demon Deacons. In his new relief role, he threw 42/3 innings and probably won’t be available today when the sixth-seeded Tar Heels attempt to stay alive in the double-elimination event.

Carolina (31-25) plays No. 2 Clemson today at 1:30 p.m. after Virginia upset the Tigers in the first round.

The Tar Heels found themselves thinking survival instead of upset when Wake jumped out to a 4-0 lead against UNC starter Ralph Roberts, who lasted just 12/3 innings.

The Deacs (38-15) had runners on first and third when Moore came on in relief. He didn’t work too hard in the second, getting out of the jam after a failed stolen base attempt, but the former North Rowan star’s night was just beginning.

Wake grabbed a 5-1 advantage in the third inning when Carlos Brackley socked a triple off the wall in center. But Wake, which owned eight straight wins over the Heels, couldn’t hold the lead. Starter Cory Sullivan threw 12 straight balls before being removed in the top of the fourth, and Carolina pushed four runs across to tie the game at 5-all.

Moore allowed another run in the fourth off a pair of singles and a walk, but the Heels again tied it in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, Moore surrendered a bunt single to Sullivan, but picked off the runner with his quick left-handed move.

As has been the case much of the season for Moore, though, trouble came calling. With the Heels leading 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth, Moore delivered a “belt-high changeup over the inner half,”as he described it, to Corey Slavik. The Wake third baseman deposited his 10th homer of the season over the wall in right field directly between a pair of cows gracing a Chick-fil-A billboard.

After walking Ryan Johnson, Moore regained his composure and got Matt Price to hit an easy liner to right field. Brandon Russell moved into position — then fell. The ball rolled to the wall for a “triple,” and, making matters worse, the relay throw into third — with Price practically standing on the bag — skipped away and another run scored, making it 9-7.

Still, the Tar Heels stayed in it, scoring in their fifth straight inning to trail 9-8 in the seventh. Moore got his third strikeout of the night to open the bottom half, then induced a routine grounder to short that went for an error.

His next pitch was a curve that broke just how he wanted it to — and just how Sullivan wanted it to. The pitcher-turned-designated hitter got his bat around on the tough pitch and launched a high floater into the night. A walk and a single later, Moore gave way to fellow reliever and roommate Whitley Benson, who got Moore out of further trouble with a double play.

“The margin of error against these good hitters for Wake is very small,”UNC head coach Mike Fox said. “He pitched with a lot of heart, made some great pitches, but when he didn’t they took advantage.”

Carolina’s Chris Maples missed a two-run homer by a matter of feet in the eighth inning and the ACC’s top closer, Dave Bush, avoided further trouble in the ninth to close out the Heels and Moore, who took the loss to drop to 5-5 for the year.

“As a team tonight we just couldn’t come through in the clutch,”Moore said. “We were in the ballgame the whole game.”

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Look for more on Daniel Moore’s first season in Chapel Hill, as well as his summer baseball plans, Sunday in the Post. Contact Steve Hanf at 704-797-4287 or shanf@salisburypost.com .