University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
No. 3 Tar Heels Lose Heartbreaker at No. 1 FSU
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 27, 1999
Tallahasee, Fla. - The No. 3-ranked University of North Carolina baseball team took No. 1 Florida State to its first extra-inning game of the season but lost a heartbreaker, 5-4, Saturday night at Dick Howser Stadium. Trailing, 3-0, after one inning, North Carolina battled back and took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth before the Seminoles tied the score to send the game to extra innings. In the 10th inning, FSUs Matt Diaz drove in the game-winning run on a fielders choice. With the win, FSU improves to 28-3, 8-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Carolina fell to 22-4, 2-3 ACC.
Chris Chavez (2-2) earned the win in relief, pitching a scoreless 10th inning for the Noles. Derrick DePriest (1-2) took the loss for UNC, allowing the tying and winning runs.
FSU loaded the bases in the 10th off DePriest before Diazs fielders choice drove in the winning run. John-Ford Griffin led off with a single to rightfield and went to second when Chris Smith reached on an error by Ryan Blake. Marshall McDougall was hit by a DePriest to load the bases. Diaz came to the plate and hit a soft grounder to second. UNCs Rob Miano tried to throw Griffin out at home but his throw was just late.
oth starting pitchers threw very well but earned no-decisions for their efforts. FSUs Nick Stocks allowed nine hits and four earned runs in 8.0 innings, striking out 10 and walking two. Carolinas Mike Bynum allowed three first-inning runs but settled down to pitch 5.0 scoreless innings before being replaced by Michel Horney to begin the seventh inning. Bynum allowed eight hits and three earned runs in 6.0 innings, striking out nine and walking three.
lake went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs and Ryan Earey hit a solo home run and went 2-for-5 to lead the Tar Heels. Ryan Barthelemy went 3-for-4 and Kevin Cash drove in two for FSU.
For the second straight night, Florida State jumped out early against Tar Heel pitching, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-0 lead. After Bynum struck out leadoff hitter Karl Jernigan, McDougall hit a solo home run in the first inning for the second straight night. Diaz then walked and John Halliday, Kevin Cash and Mike Futrell hit three consecutive doubles for a 3-0 lead.
Carolina responded in the top of the second, rallying with two outs to score two runs. Earey singled to rightfield to begin the rally and advanced to third on Matt McCays infield single and a throwing error by Cash, the FSU third baseman. Blake hit a single up the middle off McDougalls glove at second base to drive in both Earey and McCay.
The Tar Heels seemed poised to take the lead in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs on a single by Tyrell Godwin and back-to-back walks by Jarrett Shearin and Chris LaMarsh. FSU starter Nick Stocks rallied, however, striking out Ryan Matthews and Earey swinging and getting McCay to ground out to end the inning.
Carolina tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the sixth when Earey crushed a Stocks offering over the rightfield fence for a solo home run. The Tar Heels took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh when Shearin singled to center with two outs, stole second and scored on an RBI single to center by LaMarsh.
FSU rallied in the bottom of the ninth and looked to have victory in its hands before a wonderful defensive play by Shearin killed their momentum. The Seminoles led off the ninth with three straight singles by Matt Diaz, Ryan Barthelemy and Kevin Cash, the last of which drove in the tying run. With runners on first and second and no outs, the Noles looked to be in good shape for the victory until Michael Futrell hit a long fly ball to center that Shearin caught. When Barthelemy tagged and tried to advance to third, Shearin threw a strike to Earey at third base, doubling up Barthelemy and sapping the momentum from FSU. After a single, DePriest got Bobby Spano to pop up to second base to end the inning.
Carolina and Florida State conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
