University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State (ACC Tournament)
Tar Heels Eliminated from ACC Tourney by Florida State in 11 Innings
May 29, 2004 | Baseball
May 29, 2004
SALEM, Va. - No. 3-seed Florida State (40-20) scored the game-winner on a squeeze bunt play in the bottom of the 11th to claim an 8-7 win over No. 5-seed North Carolina (41-19) in an elimination game at the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship. After winning three consecutive elimination games in the tournament, the Tar Heels will now await word on an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament field, which will be announced at Noon Monday on ESPN2.
With the game tied at seven entering the bottom of the 11th, Seminole shortstop Stephen Drew led off the inning with a double to left center off UNC closer Michael Gross, who entered in the eighth. Drew was then bunted to third and Ryne Malone was intentionally walked before Matt Sauls dropped a bunt between Gross and first baseman Sammy Hewitt to drive in Drew for the game-winner.
Gross (4-4) took the loss for the Tar Heels after allowing one run on three hits in 2.2 innings. Florida State's Rhett James (9-2) picked up the win after working five innings of relief. He gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks. James struck out five. Carolina's Scott Senatore worked 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.
Carolina right fielder Marshall Hubbard went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and catcher Chris Iannetta and left fielder Jay Cox each added two hits. Hubbard now has 79 RBI on the year to rank tied for second on the UNC single-season list. He needs two more to tie the school record. Drew went 2-for-6 with two RBI to lead the Noles at the plate.
After Carolina tied the game at seven with two runs in the eighth, the Seminoles had a chance to end the game in the bottom of the ninth. FSU loaded the bases with just one out, but Cox made a diving catch in left field and doubled Malone off third to send the game into extra innings. Malone doubled to left center and took third on an error by UNC center fielder Chase Younts to start the FSU rally. The Tar Heels then intentionally walked two batters to load the bases before second baseman Brandon Manasa lined out to Cox, who was playing in shallow left.
Highlighted by run-scoring singles from Hubbard and left fielder Ross Cook, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Shortstop Greg Mangum and third baseman Justin Webb led off the game with back-to-back walks before Hubbard singled to right to drive in Mangum for his 10th RBI of the tournament. Webb then scored the second run on the front end of a double steal with Hubbard, who later came home on Cook's single to right.
Capped by a two-run double from Drew, Florida State pulled ahead with four in the second. Left fielder Gibbs Chapman put the Seminoles on the board with a single to right to score Sauls, who walked. Chapman later scored on a sacrifice fly to left by third baseman Dennis Anderson to cut the lead to 3-2. Following a walk to center fielder Shane Robinson, Drew doubled to right center give FSU a 4-3 lead. Tar Heel starter Whitley Benson was lifted after Drew's base hit.
After a two-out single to center by Iannetta in the third, Hubbard drew a walk and Iannetta later scored on a fielding error by Malone to tie the game at four.
In the bottom of the frame, the Tar Heels appeared to have gotten out of a bases-loaded jam without allowing a run when Mangum fielded an Anderson grounder and flipped the ball to Bryan Steed at second for what would have been the final out of the inning. But following an umpire conference, Steed was ruled to have dropped the ball. He was charged with an error, allowing a run to score. The Carolina defense was called back out on to the field, and the Seminoles went on to score two more runs to take a 7-4 lead. The second run came home on a wild pitch by UNC reliever Brian Phillips, and Robinson singled to left to drive in the final run of the inning. All three runs were unearned.
Carolina cut the lead to 7-5 in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center by Webb. Pinch hitter Matt Ellington doubled to left to start the one-out rally. He took third on an infield single by Mangum before scoring on Webb's sac fly. Mangum's single extended his hitting streak to a season-best 10 games.
The Tar Heels added two more in the eighth off James to tie the game at seven. Singles by first baseman Sammy Hewitt and Cox and a walk to Younts loaded the bases for designated hitter Mike Daniel, who singled to short to drive in the first run. With the bases still loaded, Ellington slapped an RBI grounder to first to drive in Cox and tie the game.
The Tar Heels' three wins at the tourney are the most since the 1990 team won the ACC title. Carolina was involved in three of a tournament record seven one-run games.
The Seminoles will now face top-seeded Georgia Tech in Saturday night's title game.
