University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Old Dominion
Baseball Blasts Old Dominion, 23-3
March 5, 2002 | Baseball
March 5, 2002
NORFOLK, VA. - The University of North Carolina baseball team blasted Old Dominion 23-3 Tuesday afternoon at Bud Metheny Stadium. Carolina's 21 hits were a season high, and its 23 runs were the most ever allowed by Old Dominion in a baseball game. Carolina's 23 runs were also the most scored by the Tar Heels in one game since last year's season-opener against James Madison (23-9).
The Tar Heels, who had three or more runs in five of nine innings, were led at the plate by Russ Adams, Ron Braun, Chad Prosser, Sean Farrell and Adam Greenberg, all of whom had multiple-hit games. Adams was 4-for-6 with a career-high six RBIs to go with three runs and two stolen bases, while Braun was 4-for-5 with a career-high five RBIs, four of which came on a second-inning grand slam to straightaway center field.
Three UNC runs in the first, five in the second and one more in the third staked the Tar Heels to a 9-0 run before the Monarchs got on the board with a run in the bottom of the third. Adams, Farrell and Ryan Blake all scored in the first, while Braun's grand slam in the second blew the game open early.
"This was certainly a very good win for us," said UNC head coach Mike Fox. "We swung the bat well right out of the chute, and we never let up. Sometimes when you get out to a big lead you have the tendency to let up, but we played well all nine innings. We needed a game like this to get us jump-started offensively."
The Monarchs got two runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the Tar Heel lead to 9-3, before Adams drove in two runs with a double and Farrell added a sacrifice fly to push Carolina in front 12-3 in the fifth. Chris Maples hit a solo homer in the sixth and the Tar Heels added 10 runs over the next two innings (seven of them unearned) to reach the 23-run mark.
Carolina used six pitchers on the afternoon, and Kevin Brower (1-0) was credited with the win after pitching a hitless fifth inning. Maples moved to the mound and struck out the side in the ninth to end the game, the third time he has done so in as many tries. Carolina struck out a total of 10 batters, the sixth time in 11 tries the Tar Heel pitching staff has recorded at least 10 K's. Last year, the Tar Heels did so just five times all season.
"It was a very cold day," Fox said. "But I was pleased with our pitching, particularly with our relievers late."
Carolina (6-5) faces Auburn on the road this weekend before returning home for its longest homestand of the season - 12 games from March 12-27.
