University of North Carolina Athletics
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Maryland
Baseball Opens ACC Season With 4-3 Win Over Maryland
March 15, 2002 | Baseball
March 15, 2002
CHAPEL HILL - The North Carolina baseball team opened its Atlantic Coast Conference season by rallying for a 4-3 win over Maryland Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. A pinch hit, sacrifice fly by Chase Younts in the bottom of the eighth scored the game-winner, as the Tar Heels opened ACC play 1-0 for the first time since 1998. Carolina is 8-8 overall, while Maryland, which entered the series with 12 straight wins, falls to 14-3, 0-1 in the ACC.
"I was real proud of our team for coming back with runs in the seventh and eighth innings," said UNC coach Mike Fox, whose Tar Heels have won six straight home games over Maryland. "That's something we haven't been doing - finishing games."
Adam Greenberg staked UNC to a quick 1-0 lead with his third leadoff homer of the season and the sixth of his career. Chris Maples walked and scored on a single by Jeremy Cleveland in the fourth for a 2-0 Carolina lead.
Meanwhile, Scott Autrey was terrific on the mound for the Tar Heels, retiring Maryland's first 14 batters and 20 of the first 21 before getting into trouble with two outs in the top of the seventh. Maryland erased a 2-0 deficit with three runs on four straight hits, including a flare over Jeremy Cleveland's head at first base by Jason Maxey which scored a pair of runs.
Trailing 3-2, Carolina scratched back with an RBI single by Russ Adams in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game 3-3. That set the stage for Younts's game-winning sac fly in the eighth.
"I knew I put Chase in there in a tough spot, but he came through with the big fly ball," Fox said.
Michael Gross (2-1) came out of the bullpen to collect the final out of the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, while Maples got the game's final out for his second save of the season. Maryland starter Jared Stuart allowed just three runs on three hits over six innings in the no decision, while Brad Lyons (1-1) allowed four hits and UNC's fourth run in one inning for the loss.
With his RBI single in the seventh, Adams extended his career-high hit streak to 10 games, while Farrell was 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to seven games, matching his career high. Greenberg has at least one hit in eight consecutive outings. Cleveland was 2-for-4 to lead UNC hitters, his second straight two-hit game after opening the month of March 0-for-12.
Carolina and Maryland are back in action Saturday at 1 p.m. Sunday's series-finale begins at 2 p.m.
