University of North Carolina Athletics
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Maryland
Miller, Tar Heels Mow Down Maryland, 10-0
April 8, 2005 | Baseball
April 8, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Sophomore lefty Andrew Miller struck out 10 over seven shutout innings, and freshman shortstop Josh Horton drove in a career-best four runs to lead No. 6 North Carolina (25-6, 9-2 ACC) to a 10-0 victory over Maryland (14-18, 4-12 ACC) in the first game of a three-game series at Shipley Field. The Tar Heels, who pounded out 17 hits and a season-high eight doubles, won their seventh straight Atlantic Coast Conference games.
Miller, who ran his record to 7-0 on the season with Friday's victory, allowed just two hits and two walks. The 10 strikeouts marked his third double-digit strikeout effort of this season and the fourth of his career. After allowing an infield single to the second batter of the game, Miller retired the next 10 he faced. He also struck out the side in the sixth. Rookie righty Andrew Carignan kept the Terps off the board in the eighth and ninth innings for the Tar Heels' fifth shutout of the season.
Horton went 3-for-4 on the night with a two-run double in the second and a two-run single in the seventh. Designated hitter Matt Ellington also had three hits on the night, including his fifth home run of the season and an RBI single in the fifth. Third baseman Reid Fronk, center fielder Chase Younts, right fielder Jay Cox and first baseman Chad Flack each added two hits on the night. Cox, who also drove in two runs, and Flack both extended their current hitting streaks to six games.
Back-to-back two-out doubles from Horton and center fielder Chase Younts gave the Tar Heels a three-run advantage in the second. After Cox doubled to left center to start the rally, Flack drew a walk and both runners moved up on a Mike Daniel groundout. Horton then roped a double that wound up under the left field wall and scored both runs. Younts the followed with a double down the right field line to drive in Horton and push the lead to 3-0.
Neither team scratched in the third or fourth innings, but Ellington drove in his 29th run of the season for a four-run Carolina lead in the fifth. Ellington's single up the middle drove in Fronk, who reached on an infield single.
The Tar Heels put the game away in the five-run seventh, which included a single-inning season high eight hits. After Fronk got the scoring started with an RBI double, Cox followed with a two-run single over a drawn in infield. Two batters later, Horton drove in his third and fourth runs of the night with a single up the middle. Prior to Horton's hit, pinch hitter Craig Corrado extended the rally with a double down the left field line.
Carolina's final run of the night came on Ellington's solo homer in the eighth.
Maryland starter Chris Clem (1-5) took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 6.1 innings. Shortstop Dan Melvin had two hits to lead the Terps at the plate.
The series continues at 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Sophomore righty Daniel Bard will take the mound for the Tar Heels in game two.
