University of North Carolina Athletics
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Baseball Rocks Connecticut, 13-5, In Savannah
February 24, 2002 | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2002
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Carolina's offensive explosion continued at historic Grayson Stadium Sunday, as the Tar Heel baseball team tallied 13 runs on 11 hits, including four home runs, in blowing by Connecticut 13-5 in the Memorial Health Diamond Classic.
The Tar Heels had a total of 31 runs on 33 hits, including nine home runs and eight doubles, in winning two of three games at the inaugural tournament held at the ballpark of the Class A Savannah Sand Gnats. Chris Iannetta had two doubles and a homer in going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Adam Greenberg and Sean Farrell had two hits apiece in leading the way on Sunday. Farrell was the star of the weekend, batting 6-for-12, including three home runs, with nine RBIs and eight runs scored in three games.
For the second straight day Farrell ignited the Tar Heels in the first with a long home run to left. Farrell's three-run shot gave Carolina an early 3-1 lead after UConn had scored an unearned run in the top of the first.
With Carolina leading by two runs Adam Greenberg doubled home Chad Prosser in the second for a 4-1 advantage. Iannetta added a two-out, RBI double in the third to push the Tar Heels ahead 5-1.
The Tar Heels had a scoreless fourth, but back-to-back homers by Ryan Blake, a two-run shot, and by Iannetta in the fifth extended Carolina's lead to 8-1. Greg Mangum tripled and scored an unearned run in the seventh for Carolina's ninth run, but the Huskies roughed up UNC reliever Mell Adams for four runs, including back-to-back homers, in the eighth to narrow the game to 9-5.
The Tar Heels exploded for four more runs in pushing the final margin to 13-5. Jeremy Cleveland led off the bottom of the eighth with a pinch hit homer for Carolina's 10th run, while Iannetta doubled in Farrell, who scored a career-high four runs on the day, for an 11-5 lead. Chad Prosser had a two-run triple to knock in the game's final two runs.
Freshman Garry Bakker (1-0), who pitched five two-hit innings in his UNC debut last weekend, had another stellar outing for the Tar Heels, allowing just one unearned run in six innings for the win. He struck out six, walked two and allowed four hits.
"Garry proved he could pitch at this level last weekend," said UNC head coach Mike Fox. "He's a real competitor and he made good pitches when he needed to. That was a big key for us today."
Carolina is back home this week, hosting UNC Wilmington on Tuesday and Elon on Wednesday. The Tar Heels host California next weekend for a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium.
