University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: A Group Effort
May 28, 2004 | Baseball
May 28, 2004
By Adam Lucas
SALEM, VA--So you've heard about Daniel Bard. You're well acquainted with Andrew Miller. Maybe you even know a little something about Garry Bakker.
Now it's time to meet Robert Woodard. Get familiar with Jonathan Hovis (first lesson: don't call him anything other than "The Hove"). Learn a little bit about Whitley Benson and Michael Gross.
Those four pitchers won't get most of the headlines Saturday morning, but they combined to limit Clemson to nine hits and five runs Friday evening, holding the Tigers down just long enough for Carolina's bats to provide a heart-pounding 6-5 bottom-of-the-ninth finish.
The Heels' three weekend starters--Bard, Bakker, and Miller--have deservedly earned most of the attention this season. They're one of the best trios in the league, and Bakker and Miller threw back-to-back complete games to earn two victories here in Salem. But in double-elimination tournament baseball, it's depth rather than superstars that usually win. That's why you saw scores like 12-1, 20-2, and 13-4 earlier Friday; some teams were rapidly running out of capable arms.
Carolina head coach Mike Fox knew he wouldn't get a complete game against Clemson. But he got exactly what he needed: a workmanlike group effort.
Woodard went four innings, Hovis went 2 2/3, Benson an economical 1/3, and Gross the final two in holding the Tigers to their lowest run output of the tournament.
"Our pitching has been great," rightfielder Marshall Hubbard said. "We've played four games and still have a lot of guys who are fresh."
Hubbard is a big reason why there are still some live arms on the staff. Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Heels had the unenviable task of facing tough Clemson lefty Tony Sipp, who had dominated them earlier this season in Chapel Hill and also pitched effectively in the first meeting between the teams on Wednesday. But a hit batter and a Sipp error put the first two men on, and when Chris Iannetta--who had earlier blasted a ball 400 feet for his third homer in the tournament--dropped in a pop fly between three Tiger fielders, the bases were loaded for Hubbard.
"I could hear our guys talking," Fox said. "When you face a guy over and over again, you know what to look for. The lefties were looking for breaking balls and we were trying to lay off the fastball up."
efore walking to the plate, Hubbard leaned over to on-deck batter Sammy Hewitt.
"Sammy, it's you and me, man," he said.
Hubbard and Hewitt only needed seven pitches. After falling behind 0-2, Hubbard coaxed a walk, bringing in the tying run. On the very next pitch, Hewitt ripped a hanging slider for the gamewinner back up the middle.
"I was looking for something to hit up in the zone," Hewitt said. "I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere in the outfield."
The win sent the vocal Carolina contingent spilling merrily into the parking lot, where some tried--with only moderate success, since it's a difficult piece--to play the fight song on their car horns. They'll be back Saturday at 3:30 for a game against Florida State, a team the Heels beat twice during the regular season.
Of course, Bard and Miller earned those two victories. Miller, at least, won't be available on Saturday. The pitching duties may fall to another group effort, but somehow Fox didn't seem too concerned about that prospect.
"We haven't used a couple guys and Whitley only threw to one batter tonight," he said. "Bryan Phillips and Scott Senatore haven't thrown.
"We'll piece it together."
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.
