University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Coastal Carolina
No. 4 Tar Heels Coast Past Chanticleers, 15-0
February 21, 2006 | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Redshirt freshman Luke Putkonen carried a no-hitter into the sixth in his first collegiate start, and designated hitter Tim Federowicz and outfielder Matt Spencer combined for nine hits and eight runs batted in to lead No. 4 North Carolina (4-0) to a 15-0 victory over Coastal Carolina (2-5) Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels, who are now batting .410 as a team, have scored a total of 36 runs in their last two games.
Putkonen (1-0) needed little support as he allowed just one hit over 5.2 shutout innings and struck out two. The Marietta, Ga., native battled through a three-walk first inning, but catcher Benji Johnson threw out two runners to keep Coastal off the score board. Putkonen then settled in to retire the next 14 batters he faced until allowing a two-out walk in the sixth. CCU center fielder Dom Dugan then singled to left to break up the no-hit bid.
Right-handers Adam Warren, Tyler Trice, Matt Danford and Jonathan Hovis worked the final 3.1 innings and allowed just one hit to close out Carolina's first shutout of the season.
Federowicz went 5-for-5 with three doubles and five RBI, all career highs. He tallied two-run doubles in both the first and second innings, as Carolina scored 10 times in its first two times at bat. The Apex native also doubled in the fifth and singled in both the seventh and eighth innings. Federowicz's five-hit performance is the first by a Tar Heel since Chase Younts had five safeties against Maryland in the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in Salem, Va.
Spencer's four hits were a career best, as were his three runs scored. He also drove in three runs for just the time in his career and doubled twice. The Morristown, Tenn., product plated a run with a first inning double and followed with a two-run single in the second. Sophomore first baseman Chad Flack also had two hits for the Tar Heels.
In the first, Carolina sent 10 men to the plate and scored six runs. Center fielder Mike Cavasinni single and stole second before scoring on a Reid Fronk single to open the gates. Flack followed with a run-scoring single and right fielder Jay Cox scored on an error before Federowicz and Spencer each doubled.
Spencer and Federowicz picked up where they left off in the second, driving in four more runs for a 10-0 Carolina advantage.
Jay Cox extended the lead to 11-0 in the sixth with a solo home run to left field, his first of the season, and the Tar Heels tacked on four more in the eighth for the final 15-run margin. Federowicz drove in the first run of the eighth with an infield single, and subs Garrett Gore and Joe Pietropaoli each followed with run-scoring base hits. Gore, who had a two-run double, and Nate Lape both had their first collegiate hits in the inning.
Coastal's John Mariotti (0-1) took the loss after allowing nine earned runs on seven hits in 1.1 innings. Reliever Bobby Gagg then came on and kept the Tar Heels off the scoreboard for the next 3.2 innings.
Carolina returns to action this weekend with a three-game set with George Washington at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels and Colonials will square off at 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
