University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Princeton
Carolina Holds Off Princeton, 14-8
March 16, 2004 | Baseball
March 16, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Junior right fielder Marshall Hubbard went 3-for-4 with his team-best seventh homer and three runs batted in to lead North Carolina (13-4) to a 14-8 win over Princeton (6-2) at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday. With a third inning single, Hubbard extended his hitting streak to a team-best 11 games.
After driving in Carolina's first run on a sacrifice fly in the first, Hubbard also drove in runs on his fifth inning homer and an RBI single in the sixth. Hubbard, who also scored two runs on the day, is now batting .349 with a team-high 24 RBI. Center fielder Mell Adams also had two hits for the Tar Heels.
Tar Heel starter Whitley Benson (2-0) earned the win in just his third career start. He tied a career-high with six innings pitched and allowed five hits and two runs, while striking out five. Princeton starter Matt Sullivan (0-1) suffered his first loss of the year after allowing eight runs (two earned) in three innings.
Carolina picked up an early lead with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Junior shortstop Greg Mangum reached third on a fielding error by Princeton center fielder Adam Balkan and later scored on the sacrifice fly to left by Hubbard. Second baseman Bryan Steed, who followed Mangum with a walk, later scored on an RBI single to right by designated hitter Matt Ellington, which pushed the lead to 2-0.
In the second, the Tar Heels sent 11 batters to the plate and added six runs to increase the lead to 8-0. Left fielder Jay Cox, Adams and first baseman Chris Iannetta each had run-scoring singles in the frame. Ellington drew a bases-loaded walk for his second RBI of the day, and third baseman Sammy Hewitt drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right. Four of the runs were unearned, as the Tigers committed their third error of the game on a grounder by Steed to short, which allowed catcher Justin Webb to score the first run of the inning.
Hubbard's fifth inning solo home run increased the lead to 9-0. Princeton got on the board in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer to left by catcher Zach Wendkos. The shot scored Balkan, who singled.
Carolina got those runs back and then some in the bottom of the inning when the Tar Heels batted around for the second time in the game and scored five times. After Princeton reliever Chad Tongue walked the bases loaded, Webb singled up the middle to score two. After Adams scored on fielder's choice, Steed then added an RBI ground out, and Hubbard drove in his third run of the day on a single to right to close out the scoring and give Carolina a 14-2 lead.
With the help of a pair of Carolina errors, Princeton scored three runs in the top seventh to trim the lead to 14-5. The Tigers then added three more in the eighth. Kevin Liao drove in two with a single, and Balkan added an RBI groundout.
The Tar Heels and Tigers will also meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Carolina opens ACC play this weekend with a three-game series at No. 19 Virginia.
