University of North Carolina Athletics
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Wake Forest
No. 9 North Carolina Holds Off Wake Forest, 9-7
April 2, 2004 | Baseball
April 2, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Junior Marshall Hubbard hit a first inning grand slam, and classmate Chris Iannetta homered in the fourth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 16 games as No. 9 North Carolina (21-6) held on for a 9-7 win over host Wake Forest (11-15) Friday at Hooks Stadium. With their 17th win in the last 20 games, the Tar Heels improve to 5-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while the Demon Deacons fall to 1-6 in the league.
In addition to his solo homer, Iannetta also added a sixth inning double and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Shortstop Greg Mangum went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and third baseman Justin Webb and second baseman Bryan Steed each added two hits for the Tar Heels, who had 12 hits as a team. Hubbard drove in a team-high five runs, while Steed set a career high with two RBI.
Despite allowing career highs of nine hits and four earned runs, freshman Daniel Bard moved to 5-0 on the year. He worked 6.2 innings and walked a career-high four batters, while striking out two. Senior Michael Gross came on to work the eighth and ninth innings to record his second save of the year. He is 3-0 with two saves in his last six appearances.
Highlighted by Hubbard's grand slam, the Tar Heels sent nine men to the plate and took a 5-0 lead in the top of the first. Mangum slapped the first pitch of the game into center, designated hitter Ross Cook singled to left and Iannetta walked on four pitches to load the bases for Hubbard, who hit his 10th homer of the year and first grand slam over the trees in right field. Steed drove in the fifth run of the inning when his single to left plated Webb, who doubled. After allowing five runs on five hits, Wake Forest starter Tim Morley (2-3) was lifted after the first.
The Deacons got on the board in the bottom of the inning when right fielder Steve LeFaivre and second baseman Brad Scioletti came through with back-to-back RBI singles up the middle to cut the Carolina lead to 5-2.
After loading the bases for the second time in three innings, the Tar Heels added two more runs in the third to claim a 7-2 lead. First baseman Sammy Hewitt led off the inning with a double to right field. After pinch hitter Jay Cox walked, Webb reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Steed then singled over a leaping Deacon second baseman to score Hewitt, and Mangum drove in Cox with a sacrifice fly to center to cap the inning.
Iannetta's fourth inning home run gave Carolina an 8-2 advantage. The shot was his sixth of the year and, like Hubbard's first inning grand slam, cleared the trees just beyond the right field wall.
The Deacs used the long ball in the fifth to cut into the Carolina lead, as catcher J.B. Tucker hit a two-run shot to right field to make the score 8-4. Carolina got one of the runs back in the sixth when Mangum, who singled to lead off an inning three times Friday, came home on an RBI groundout by Hubbard. Wake then came back to add one more in the bottom of the sixth when third baseman Matt Antonelli scored on a Tar Heel throwing error.
Down 9-5, the Deacons loaded the bases in the seventh and added one unearned run on a fielding error by Hewitt. With two on and two out the frame, Bard was pulled in favor senior Whitley Benson, who got out of the inning with just one run allowed. WFU cut the lead to 9-7 in the eighth on an RBI single by Scioletti, his second of the day.
LeFaivre had three hits to lead the Wake Forest offense.
The series continues with games at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Junior Garry Bakker is scheduled to go in game two, while freshman Andrew Miller should start game three for the Tar Heels.
