University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
Webb Leads Tar Heels Past UVa, 10-5
April 2, 2005 | Baseball
April 2, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Senior Justin Webb broke open a one-run game with a three-run homer in the seventh, and freshmen Chad Flack and Seth Williams also homered as ninth-ranked North Carolina (23-5, 7-2 ACC) battled through two rain delays to post a 10-5 victory over Virginia (19-8, 4-5 ACC) Saturday at Boshamer Stadium. With the win, the Tar Heels improved to 21-0 in Chapel Hill this season, equaling a school record home start.
Webb, who also homered Friday, went 2-for-5 with five RBI and now has four home runs and 16 RBI in just nine ACC games. Williams, who had an RBI double in addition to his team-best seventh home run, was 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Flack homered for the third straight game. Sophomore right fielder Jay Cox added three hits and three runs scored for Carolina, which won its eighth in a row and secured its second consecutive series win over Virginia.
Carolina starter Daniel Bard (5-2) went seven innings and allowed five runs on seven hits and no walks. He returned to the mound following both rain delays, which totaled two hours and 27 minutes, and notched five strikeouts on the day. Closer Matt Danford retired all six batters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings.
Virginia starter Mike Ballard (5-2) went three-plus innings and allowed six runs on five hits and two walks en route to the loss. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead Virginia at the plate. He has eight hits in the series.
The game opened much like Friday's 14-inning seesaw battle, as teams' freshmen first basemen traded two-run home runs in the first. Sean Doolittle did the early damage for the Cavaliers with a two-out shot to left off Bard, and Flack matched him with a blast to left off Ballard for his fifth home run of the season and third in the last three games.
Zimmerman followed with the third two-run homer of the day in the third for a 4-2 Virginia lead before the first rain delay, which lasted one hour and 35 minutes. After the delay, the Wahoos appeared to have added a third run in the inning, as it looked like catcher Scott Headd had come through with an RBI single to right. However, he was ruled to have not touched first base and was called out to end the inning with a two-run UVa lead.
In between rain delays, the Tar Heels put four runs on the board to take a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Webb came through with a two-run double in the third, and Williams followed with his two-run home run one inning later for the first Tar Heel lead of the day. Webb's double down a rain-soaked right field line scored Mangum, who walked, and Cox, who singled. Williams' fourth inning homer then put the Tar Heels in front for good and chased Ballard from the game. Later in the inning, the game was halted due to rain for the second time on the afternoon.
After resuming play following the second rain delay, neither team scored until Virginia trimmed the Tar Heel lead to 6-5 on a run-scoring triple down the right field line by Zimmerman in the seventh. He then tagged up at third and tried to tie the score on the next swing of the bat, but Williams collected a fly out from Doolittle and fired a strike to Benji Johnson behind the plate to end the inning with a one-run lead for Carolina.
The Tar Heels carried the momentum of that play into the bottom of the frame and scored four runs to claim a 10-5 cushion. After Mangum drew his third straight walk to lead off the inning, Cox singled, and Webb followed with his three-run homer, a blast off the scoreboard in left center. Ross Cook reached on a walk, and then Williams followed his stellar defensive play with an RBI double to close out the scoring for the Tar Heels.
Carolina goes for its second straight ACC sweep at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. A win Sunday, would give Carolina 22-0 record at home, which would eclipse the 1990 school record start at Boshamer Stadium of 21-0.
