University of North Carolina Athletics
Baseball Take Series Opener From Georgia Tech, 10-5
May 11, 2001 | Baseball
May 11, 2001
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The University of North Carolina handed No. 10 Georgia Tech a 10-5 loss Friday evening in Atlantic Coast Conference baseball action at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels have now won four straight games and are 30-23, 8-14 in the ACC, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 38-15, 12-10 in the conference.
Ralph Roberts (3-1) starred on the mound and at the plate in helping the Tar Heels to the third win in their past five games against a ranked team. Roberts had a three-run home run in the seventh and got the win after holding one of the nation's most explosive teams to four runs ' three earned ' on five hits in 6.0 innings. Roberts is now 3-1 and has a team-best 3.44 ERA. Daniel Moore gave up one run on three hits in 2.2 innings, while Whitley Benson, who entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth, got the game's final out by striking out Jason Basil.
The Tar Heels and Yellow Jackets traded one run each in the first inning. Richard Lewis singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryan Prince to give Tech a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Tar Heels countered in the bottom half of the inning with a run of their own. Jason Howell's two-out single scored Sean Farrell from second base, as UNC tied the game 1-1 after the first.
The Tar Heels then exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third to jump ahead 6-1. Adam Greenberg led off the inning with a double and scored on a double by Sean Farrell. Chad Prosser added a two-out single to push the Heels ahead 4-1, while Ryan Blake drove in two runs with a double down the left-field line for the five run advantage.
Georgia Tech closed the gap to 6-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth. Mark Teixeira walked and scored on a single by Jason Perry, while Victor Menocal scored on a throwing error by UNC third baseman Chris Maples. But Maples got one run back for the Tar Heels in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on a throwing error by Tech centerfielder Wes Rynders.
Tech again closed to within three runs with one run in the seventh, but Roberts sent an Andy Mitchell pitch over the wall in right-center field to give the Heels a 10-4 lead. Teixeira had a two-out single in the ninth to drive in Georgia Tech's fifth and final run of the night.
Greenberg, Farrell, Howell, Prosser and Maples each had two hits for the Tar Heels, while Prosser and Blake complimented Roberts's three RBIs with two each of their own.
Teixeira returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a broken right ankle in a game against Elon on Feb. 23. Last year's National Player of the Year, Teixeira ripped a double to right field on the first pitch he faced in the first and singled in the third. He finished 3-for-4 with one run and two RBIs.
Yellow Jacket starter Steve Perry (7-3) struck out nine, but gave up seven runs on nine hits in 6.0 innings for the loss.
Carolina and Georgia Tech continue their series Saturday at 7 p.m. and conclude the three-game set with a 1:30 p.m. game on Sunday. The ACC Baseball Tournament begins Tuesday, May 15 at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C.
