University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Princeton
Tar Heels Blast Princeton, 24-12
March 19, 2003 | Baseball
March 19, 2003
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -North Carolina (14-6) defeated Princeton (2-10), 24-12 on a cold, wet Wednesday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. In a game that had everything, The Tigers and Tar Heels combined for 36 runs on 32 hits. Every Carolina starter has at least one hit and three different batters recorded multiple-RBI games.
Princeton struck for six runs in the top of the first inning off Carolina starter Bryan Phillips. Three walks and four hits in the inning, including a bases loaded double by Mike Chernoff accounted for the Tigers' runs. Phillips lasted just one inning and gave up six earned runs on four hits and three walks before turning the ball over to the Carolina bullpen.
The Tar Heels cut Princeton's lead in half with three runs in the bottom of the third. Sean Farrell walked and eventually scored the first run of the inning on a balk by the Tigers' starter Nathan Miller. Ryan Blake singled and later came around to score on a wild pitch, and Chris Iannetta's RBI infield single plated Jeremy Cleveland, making the score 6-3 after three innings of play.
Carolina kept on rolling with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Mell Adams hit his first home run of the season over the left field wall. Blair Waggett then reached on a bunt single and Chad Prosser executed a perfect hit-and-run to put two runners on base. After another walk to Farrell, Cleveland came up with the bases loaded and two outs and was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many as bats. After Prosser scored on a balk, Iannetta hit the first triple of his career, driving in two runs and giving the Tar Heels their first lead of the game.
The Tigers came right back with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman Zack Zuercher entered the game in relief of Jonathan Hovis for Carolina and gave up a three-run homer to Andrew Salini, putting Princeton back up 10-8.
Princeton and Carolina traded runs in the sixth inning with the the Tigers putting two on the board and the Tar Heels countering with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
After holding Princeton scoreless in the top of the seventh, UNC regained the lead with five runs in the bottom of the inning. With one out and two runners in scoring position, Farrell collected his first hit of the day, a ground ball RBI single through the left side of the infield which gave Carolina a 13-12 lead. Two batters later, Cleveland extended the Tar Heels' lead with a towering three-run homer to center field, his fourth of the season.
The Tar Heels exploded for eight more runs in the bottom of the eighth which included a grand slam by Cleveland, giving him a career-high nine RBIs in the game.
Carolina hosts Wake Forest for a three game series this weekend at Boshamer Stadium to begin ACC conference play. Starting time for Friday's opener is 3 p.m.
-- TarHeelBlue.com --
