University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
James Madison (NCAA Tournament)
North Carolina Edges James Madison 9-7
June 1, 2002 | Baseball
June 1, 2002
Columbia, S.C. - The North Carolina baseball team outlasted James Madison, 9-7, Saturday evening in an elimination game at the NCAA Regional at Sarge Frye Field to avoid an end to the 2002 season. Just hours after Daniel Moore had failed to record an out as the starter in the 9-6 loss to South Carolina earlier in the day, the sophomore lefty pitched three scoreless innings of relief to collect the win and help lead the Tar Heels to the win.
Sean Farrell, who was 4-for-5 with three RBIs, broke a 7-7 tie in the eighth inning with the game-winning RBI single, while Chris Maples also drove in a run in the inning for the Tar Heels, who face South Carolina at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Tar Heels must win two games over the Gamecocks to advance to the Super Regionals next weekend.
"It was a long day but I'm proud of my team for coming back and playing with a lot of heart," said UNC head coach Mike Fox. "We did what we had to do tonight."
Carolina struck first in the top of the second when, with one out, Ron Braun hit a solo home run over the right center wall to give the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead.
James Madison answered in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer by Dustin Bowman to center field, giving the Dukes a 3-1 lead.
In the top of the third, Russ Adams's solo homer, his seventh of the season, cut the JMU lead to 3-2, but the Dukes added a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning for a 5-2 advantage.
Carolina tied the game, 5-5, with a three-run fifth and took a 7-5 lead in the sixth on a two-run home run by Farrell. But JMU again answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to set the stage for UNC's two-run eighth inning that clinched the victory.
Carolina improved to 42-20 with the win, while James Madison's season ends at 44-16.
The win was Fox's 700th in 19 years as a college head coach. Fox, who coached for 15 years at N.C. Wesleyan before returning to his alma mater in 1999, is 700-222-4.
