University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
UNC Wilmington
No. 7 Carolina Rallies Past UNCW, 11-8
April 26, 2005 | Baseball
April 26, 2005
WILMINGTON, N.C. - No. 7 North Carolina scored four runs in the ninth to cap its largest comeback win of the season in an 11-8 victory over UNC Wilmington Tuesday at Brooks Field. The Tar Heels (34-8-1) trailed 6-0 after just two innings but chipped away at the lead and finally went in front on a pinch-hit RBI single by freshman Reid Fronk in the ninth.
The Seahawks (27-15) rallied in the bottom of the ninth to load the bases with no outs, but Carolina closer Matt Danford struck out two of the final three batters he faced to nail down the victory and his eighth save. Junior right-hander Jonathan Hovis (5-1) earned the win with 2.2 shutout innings. He allowed just one hit and one walk and struck out two.
Trailing 8-7 entering the ninth, the Tar Heels loaded the bases with no outs on an error, a walk and a single by left fielder Mike Daniel. Freshman shortstop Josh Horton tied the game with a sacrifice fly to wall in right field, before Fronk put Carolina in front 9-8 with his single to center. Senior second baseman Greg Mangum then came through with a two-run double for the 11-8 final margin.
Horton went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, and designated hitter Matt Ellington went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI doubles to lead the Tar Heels, who had 14 hits. Senior Chase Younts added two hits off the bench. Freshman outfielder Seth Williams extended his career-best hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run double, and rookie catcher Benji Johnson hit his third home run of the season and second in the last two games.
UNCW had four hitters with multi-hit games led by right fielder John Raynor and third baseman Matt Poulk, who each drove in two runs. Seahawk reliever Adam Paul (3-1) took the loss after facing just two batters and allowing two unearned runs.
UNCW put up four runs in the first to take an early lead. After the first run came home on a double steal, Raynor came through with an RBI single, and Poulk followed with a two-run homer for the 4-0 UNCW lead.
Two Tar Heel throwing errors helped the Seahawks tack on two unearned runs in the second to claim a 6-0 advantage. Designated hitter Lee McLean led off the inning with a single, moved to third on a throwing error by UNC starter Andy Gale and then scored on a wild throw by Johnson. UNCW left fielder Tim Preston drove in the second run with a single to right.
With three runs in the third, Carolina cut the lead in half. Williams drove in the first two with a double to right center, and left fielder Ross Cook followed a 25-minute rain delay with a double down the left field line. Williams' hit scored Ellington, who reached on an error, and third baseman Chad Flack, who was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced a base on a passed ball before Williams' two-out, two-run double. On the second pitch following the rain delay, Cook laced a double past third base to drive in Williams and the Tar Heels' third run of the night.
The Tar Heels then added two in the fourth to trim the lead to just one. Johnson led off the inning with the solo homer to left, and Ellington later drove in Mangum with a double down the right field line. Mangum kept the rally going after Johnson's homer with a walk off UNCW starter Zach Kimball. First baseman Justin Webb followed with a single to center off reliever Allen Flood before Ellington's RBI double.
After the Seahawks pushed the lead back to two on an RBI double by Raynor in the fifth, Carolina cut the lead to one once again in the top of the sixth. Younts, who was pinch hitting, singled through the right side to start the rally, and Ellington followed with an RBI double to right center off Flood.
Carolina's fourth error of the night allowed UNCW to take a two-run lead once again in the bottom of the inning, but the Tar Heels battled back with a run in the top of the seventh. Williams reached on an error, stole second and later scored from third on a sacrifice fly to center by Horton.
Younts led off the eighth with a double, but Carolina could get him home from third and still trailed by one heading to the ninth. The Seahawks also got a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth but could not push the insurance run across, as Hovis struck out the final two batters of the inning.
Neither starter lasted past the fourth, as Gale went two innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits and a walk. Kimball went 3.1 innings and allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk. He fanned five Tar Heels. Lefty Adam Kalkhof gave the Carolina 3.1 solid innings of relief, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk. He struck out three.
The win was Carolina's third straight against the Seahawks and second this season. The six-run deficit was the largest overcome by the Tar Heels this season, eclipsing a four-run rally at East Carolina last Tuesday.
The Tar Heels host High Point at 6 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium Wednesday before traveling to NC State for a three-game series this weekend.
