University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Seton Hall
No. 4 Tar Heels Close Out Sweep Of Seton Hall
February 19, 2006 | Baseball
Feb. 19, 2006
Box Score | Game One Photo Galleries | Game Two Photo Galleries
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 4 North Carolina got sharp starts from preseason All-Americas Daniel Bard and Andrew Miller and pounded out a combined 30 runs on 35 hits to sweep a doubleheader from Seton Hall, 9-7 and 21-2, Sunday at Boshamer Stadium. Junior second baseman Bryan Steed tallied six hits on the afternoon, and sophomore third baseman Reid Fronk drove in a career-best six runs in the second game to lead the Tar Heels (3-0) to their fourth consecutive series sweep of the Pirates (1-5).
Miller (1-0) tossed six shutout innings and struck out nine of the 20 batters he faced to earn the win in the second game of the day. The Gainesville, Fla., native allowed just four singles, one walk and retired nine straight batters over the third, fourth and fifth innings. He fanned the side in both the third and fifth.
Bard (1-0) picked up the game one victory after allowing three runs on just five hits over seven innings. He fanned five and did not is¬sue a walk. After allowing a leadoff single, the Charlotte product retired the next nine batters he faced and also set down the last six Pirate hitters he saw. Right-hander Jonathan Hovis earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
In game one, Steed and first baseman Chad Flack, who was 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI, combined for seven of the Tar Heels' 15 hits to lead the offensive attack. Right fielder Matt Spencer, who tallied four RBI on the day, chipped in with a two-run home run to right in the third, and left fielder Jay Cox and shortstop Josh Horton also tacked on two hits apiece.
In the second game, Fronk was the catalyst as he drove in six runs on a fourth inning bases-loaded double and a fifth inning three-run home run, the second of his career. He was 2-for-4 in the game and also scored two runs. Cox was 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Horton was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Junior Joe Pietropaoli also had three hits in the back end of the twin bill. Sophomore Matt Iannetta, who drove in six runs on the day, added a grand slam in the eight-run sixth inning for his first career hit.
Seton Hall's Dan McDonald allowed five runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks in the game one loss. At the plate, he was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Center fielder Matt Smedberg had four hits for SHU in the first game of the day. The Pirates' Andy McNulty (0-1) took the game two loss after allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks. Right fielder Brandon Cohen, who homered twice on the day, provided Seton Hall's lone runs in the second game with a two-run shot in the seventh.
After Carolina got on the board for two runs in the second in the first game of the day, Spencer pushed the UNC lead to 4-0 in the third with his two-run homer. Iannetta reached on an error to extend the inning before Spencer lofted a McDonald offering over the right field wall.
Following a scoreless fourth, the Tar Heels tallied five runs over the next three innings to build a six-run cushion. Iannetta drove in runs in the fifth and sixth innings without a base hit. Catcher Benji Johnson scored the first fun of the seventh on a balk, and center fielder Mike Cavasinni and Flack followed with RBI singles. Cavasinni's hit was the first of his collegiate career.
Training 9-3 heading into the eighth, Seton Hall scored four times in the inning - three on Cohen's first home run - to trim the lead to the final two-run margin. Hovis then allowed two hits in the ninth but managed to keep the Pirates off the board to secure the save.
Held scoreless until the fourth inning of game two, the Tar Heels exploded for 21 runs over the next three frames to nail down the series sweep. Fronk drove in three in the fourth with his base-clearing double and followed with the three-run shot in the seven-run fifth for nine RBI in the series.
In the sixth, Carolina sent 12 men to the plate and scored eight runs on six hits. Iannetta followed an RBI single by Horton with his grand slam to left, which gave the Tar Heels a 19-0 lead. The Tar Heels added a run on a wild pitch and one on a Kyle Shelton sacrifice fly for their final tallies.
Freshman Brian Farrell worked two scoreless innings to close out the game two win for the Tar Heels, who return to action Tuesday against Coastal Carolina at Boshamer Stadium at 3 p.m.
