University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Bats Boom in Salem
May 28, 2004 | Baseball
May 28, 2004
By Adam Lucas
SALEM, VA--You can forgive Mike Fox for looking a little dazed.
The Carolina head coach had just watched his team cross home plate 20 times in a little less than three hours, demolishing Duke 20-2 in an ACC Tournament elimination game. Fox was bragging on Bryan Steed to the media after the game and wanted to point out his second baseman's key two-RBI double. But, well, it seemed like so long ago.
"I'm glad Bryan Steed is over there," Fox said. "Not only his double in...well, whatever inning it was..."
Fox went on to laud Steed for the way he's filled holes in Carolina's oft-injured infield, but for the record, it was the bottom of the fourth when Steed--who would later turn a nifty 4-3 double play in the top of the fifth--lashed a ball to left center that scored a pair of runs. At the time, it seemed like a big play, as Duke had scratched across two runs in the third to draw within 3-2.
No one knew the Tar Heels were planning to surpass their run output from the previous day, when they scored 14 runs against Maryland. They've now scored 40 runs in the ACC Tournament, 34 in their past two games, and have gone home more than Lassie since arriving in Salem. Their win over Duke had a little bit of everything, as every starter scored at least one run, Chase Younts scored from second on a grounder to the second baseman, and .140-hitting Craig Corrado pounded a ball off the wall with the bases loaded.
y the time the game reached the seventh inning, the only drama was whether the Heels would be able to push across ten runs in the frame, posing a problem for the Salem Memorial Stadium scoreboard that was designed to handle only nine runs per inning. Sadly, we'll never know, as the Blue Devils stopped Carolina at nine.
The Heels haven't found a magic bat. Instead, they've found inspiration from a most unlikely source--their 7-6 loss to Clemson in the opening game of the tournament.
"It goes back to that Clemson game and the way we lost it," said shortstop Greg Mangum, who reached base four times and contributed a pair of RBI. "That's the third close game we've lost to them this year. We've come out to make a statement these last two games."
They'll get a chance to redeem themselves tonight, as Clemson awaits in a 9 p.m. game that is yet another elimination contest. After back-to-back complete game pitching efforts from Garry Bakker and Andrew Miller--who did not walk a batter all game for the first time in his career--Fox has a well-rested bullpen ready for the nightcap. Freshman right-hander Robert Woodard will get the start.
Woodard is the least heralded of the Heels' three freshman starters, but he's racked up a 7-2 record and has just a 3.55 ERA. While Fox's big-name recruiting victories have been well celebrated, it's depth that usually wins double-elimination tournaments, and he'll find out how well-stocked the Tar Heels are this evening.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
