University of North Carolina Athletics
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East Carolina
No. 10 Tar Heels Pound Pirates, 18-6
April 19, 2005 | Baseball
April 19, 2005
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Freshman shortstop Josh Horton went 4-for-6 with a career-best six runs batted in, and four different Tar Heels hit home runs to lead No. 10 North Carolina (29-8-1) to an 18-6 win over East Carolina (21-14) Tuesday at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The season-best 18 runs came on a season-high 23 hits for Carolina, which scored 11 times in the sixth inning.
Horton, whose four hits equaled a career high, drove in four with a triple and a double in the 11-run sixth. He then added RBI singles in the seventh and ninth innings to close out the scoring for the Tar Heels, who had seven players record multi-hit games.
Third baseman Justin Webb, designated hitter Matt Ellington, first baseman Chad Flack and center fielder Seth Williams each homered for the Tar Heels, who equaled a season-high with four home runs. Ellington went 3-for-6 and homered for the third straight game and eighth time this season. Flack followed Ellington's two-run shot in the third with his eighth of the season, and Williams hit his team-high 10th in the fourth inning. Williams needs just one more homer to tie the UNC freshman record. Carolina has now hit 11 home runs over its last four games.
Ellington, Flack and second baseman Greg Mangum each had three hits on the night, while Flack scored a career-best three runs. Ellington has now had three hits in three straight games.
Reliever Robert Woodard (3-0) picked up the win, as he allowed just four hits and one run over 3.1 innings. Freshmen Matt Spencer and Andrew Carignan worked a scoreless final 1.2 innings. Tar Heel starter Daniel Bard went four innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out two and settled down after a rough start, retiring seven of the last eight batters he faced.
East Carolina reliever Chris Powell took the loss after giving up eight runs on six hits over 1.1 innings. Left fielder Drew Costanzo and second baseman Brett Lindgren each had two hits to lead the Pirates.
After Webb gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead with his first inning solo shot, East Carolina needed just five pitches from Bard to take a 3-1 lead. Costanzo singled up the middle to drive in center fielder Brian Cavanaugh, who sent a leadoff double down the left field line, and designated hitter Mike Grace followed with a two-run homer to right.
The Pirates tacked on two in the second to take a 5-1 lead, as Costanzo drove in the first run with his second RBI single, and a bases-loaded error by Webb allowed the second to score.
Carolina cut the lead to just one in the third thanks to the back-to-back homers from Ellington and Flack. Ellington's two-run shot to right drove in Mangum, who started the rally with a single to right. Flack followed with a solo homer to left to trim the ECU advantage to 5-4. Just one inning later, Williams hit the Tar Heels' fourth home run of the night, tying the game at five with a solo shot well over the wall in right field.
After using the long ball to tie the game at five, Carolina sent 15 men to the plate in the 11-run sixth. Horton tripled home right fielder Jay Cox for the first run in the inning, and catcher Benji Johnson followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in Horton and give the Tar Heels a 7-5 lead. From that point the next 11 batters reached base, with Flack providing a two-run double and Horton adding the three-run double in his second trip to the plate in the inning. Ellington, left fielder Mike Daniel and Mangum also chipped in two RBI singles.
ECU starter Brett Braxton went four innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and two walks. He fanned three. Cody Leggett went the final three innings for the Pirates and gave up five runs on 10 hits.
The Tar Heels close out the week with four games at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina hosts VCU at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Duke for a three-game series this weekend. Games are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
