University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Elon
Manshack, Maples Lead Baseball Past Elon, 7-0
April 29, 2002 | Baseball
April 29, 2002
CHAPEL HILL - Scott Manshack pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout and Chris Maples launched two home runs as No. 7 North Carolina blanked Elon, 7-0, Monday evening at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels improve to 33-15 with their third shutout win of the season, a game originally scheduled for Feb. 27, while Elon was held scoreless for just the second time in 2002 to fall to 27-17.
"The last few starts Scott has pitched the best of his career here and like we thought he was capable of," said UNC head coach Mike Fox of his sophomore right-hander who has pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings to improve to 6-0. " It's a matter of confidence with him, and getting a complete game after this being our fourth game in a row was huge and very much needed to rest our bullpen."
For Maples, who added a single and double for a 4-for-4 night at the plate, Monday was his sixth multiple home run game of a staggering senior season that has seen him homer 19 times, the fifth most in a single season in UNC history and five shy of the school record with eight regular-season games to be played.
Maples started the scoring for UNC with a homer to lead off the second inning, and Jeremy Cleveland singled and scored for the quick 2-0 lead. Maples added his second homer with two outs in the third inning, marking the sixth time he has homered in consecutive at bats this year.
Maples drove in Adam Greenberg with an RBI single for his third RBI of the night and Russ Adams walked and scored on a wild pitch for a two-run fifth inning and a 5-0 Carolina lead.
Adams extended the Tar Heel lead to 6-0 with a solo homer to right in the seventh inning, his fourth home run of the season, and Maples looked to have his third shot of the night two batters later but his long drive came just off the left field fence and fell in for a double, completing the second four-hit game of his career. Cleveland, who was 2-for-2 with two walks, drove Maples home to cap the scoring in the seventh and provide the final 7-0 margin.
"I don't know what else to say about Chris, it's just unbelievable," Fox said. "It's kind of unexplainable, other than the fact that Chris has figured out this game. He's figured how to hit with backspin and learned to drive the ball. He's strong, and he's just one of those late bloomers. It's a great feeling to have a guy like that in your lineup."
The Tar Heels, winners of eight of their last nine games, continue their stretch of six games in six days by hosting East Carolina on Tuesday and Appalachian State on Wednesday in the final regular-season home game of the season. Both games are at 6 p.m.
