University of North Carolina Athletics
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Florida State
No. 11 FSU Completes Sweep of Tar Heels with 11-inning Win
May 15, 2005 | Baseball
May 15, 2005
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Catcher Aaron Cheesman came through with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 11th to give No. 11 Florida State (46-14, 18-9 ACC) a 7-6 victory and a series sweep of No. 8 North Carolina (37-14-1, 15-9-1) Sunday at Dick Howser Stadium. The Tar Heels held a 6-2 lead after five, but the Seminoles tied the game with an unearned run in the eighth and won it in the 11th for their 10th straight victory.
Shortstop Nick Francis led off the 11th with an infield single, and a pair of walks - one intentional - loaded the bases for Cheesman, who roped a Tyler Trice (0-1) pitch into short center field for the Seminoles' second straight walk-off win. Third baseman Ryne Malone, who was 2-for-5 with two RBI Sunday, won Saturday's game with a three-run homer in the ninth. Four of the Tar Heels' last five conference losses have come in the opposition's final at-bat.
Carolina was swept in an ACC series for the first time since dropping three to the Seminoles in March 2001 and its current four-game losing skid is its longest since that same stretch. The last time the Tar Heels were swept by any opponent was against Auburn in March 2003 at Boshamer Stadium.
FSU closer Tyler Chambliss (6-3) earned the win with 3.1 scoreless innings, and the Seminole bullpen kept the Tar Heels off the scoreboard after the fourth inning.
Freshman shortstop Josh Horton went 3-for-5 and finished with seven hits in the series. He led five Tar Heels with multi-hit efforts Sunday, as freshmen Reid Fronk, Seth Williams and Chad Flack, as well as sophomore designated hitter Matt Ellington, each had two hits. Second baseman Bryan Steed, and senior Justin Webb, who played at both first base and catcher, each drove in two runs on the afternoon. Outfielder Jay Cox went 0-for-2 to snap a career-best 11-game hitting streak.
In addition to Malone's two hits, designated hitter Josh Spivey, and Tony Thomas, Jr. also had two hits for the Seminoles. Cheesman drove in three runs on the afternoon.
UNC starter Daniel Bard lasted 5.1 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits and five walks, which tied a career high. He struck out five before Matt Danford, who worked 2.2 solid innings, came on in relief. FSU starter Hunter Jones went just three innings and allowed five runs on five hits and two walks.
The Tar Heels got on the scoreboard first for the third straight day with two runs in the third. Left fielder Ross Cook singled up the middle, and catcher Benji Johnson was hit by a pitch two put two runners on base. After a double steal put runners at second and third with no outs, Steed lofted a fly ball to deep left center to score Cook from third. Webb followed with a single to left to drive in Johnson and give Carolina an early two-run advantage.
After Florida State rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the inning on RBI from left fielder Gibbs Chapman and Cheesman, the Tar Heels put up four runs in the top of the fourth to claim a 6-2 lead. Singles by Williams and Horton and a walk to Cook loaded the bases before a wild pitch by reliever Brian Chambers allowed Williams to score. Steed followed with an RBI fielder's choice, and Webb added a run-scoring groundout to give Carolina a 5-2 lead. Ellington then closed out the scoring with a single to left center to score Steed.
Bard walked the bases loaded in the fifth and escaped without any damage but was not so lucky in the sixth, as the Seminoles scored three times to cut the lead to 6-5. After two walks and a single loaded the bases, Malone ripped a double to right to score two, and Cheesman followed with a sac fly two batters later to plate the third run of the inning.
With Carolina nursing the 6-5 lead heading to the bottom of the eighth, a throwing error by Fronk put the trying run on second base to lead off the inning. A hit batter put two on before Cheesman bunted the runners to second and third, and first baseman Danny Wardell tied the game with an RBI grounder to third. The Seminoles left the bases loaded in the inning.
FSU also loaded the bases in the ninth on a one-out intentional walk, but junior righty Jonathan Hovis came on to induce an inning-ending double play to send the game to extra innings. Carolina also squandered a chance in the 10th as it had runners on the corners with just one out, but Chambliss struck out the next two batters he faced to keep the game knotted at six.
UNC returns to action Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium against East Carolina at 6 p.m. The Tar Heels posted an 18-6 win in their first meeting with the Pirates on April 19 in Greenville.
