University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Gardner-Webb
No. 2 Carolina Grinds Out 11-8 Win Over Gardner-Webb
March 1, 2006 | Baseball
March 1, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Junior outfielder Jay Cox drove in two runs with an eighth inning bases-loaded single to lift No. 2 North Carolina to an 11-8 come-from-behind win over Gardner-Webb Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium. Five Tar Heels recorded multi-hit games as UNC scored in double digits for the fifth time in its last six outings.
Trailing 8-7 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Carolina (8-0) loaded the bases as third baseman Reid Fronk was hit by a pitch for the second time and shortstop Josh Horton and first baseman Chad Flack followed with back-to-back singles. Cox then punched a single through the right side of the infield to score Fronk and Horton and give the Tar Heels a one-run lead. Flack added an insurance run on a wild pitch, and Cox crossed the plate when Bulldog left fielder Joey Testa dropped a fly ball for the 11-8 final margin.
Senior Jonathan Hovis (2-0) picked up the win in relief with 2.1 shutout innings. The Gastonia native came on with two out in the sixth, struck out two and allowed just one hit and one walk. Sophomore Andrew Carignan set down the side in order in the ninth to record his first career save in his first appearance of 2006.
Cox was one of three Tar Heels with three hits on the day, as he was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and the two game-winning runs batted in. Horton, who now has six straight multi-hit games, was 3-for-5 with two RBI, while catcher Tim Federowicz, who hit a solo homer in the second, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Flack and right fielder Matt Spencer each added two hits. Spencer and Horton are both riding career-best seven-game hitting streaks.
The Tar Heels are now hitting .373 as a team and have six starters batting over .400 on the young season.
Gardner-Webb reliever Ben Campbell (0-1) took the loss after allowing the winning run to reach base in the eighth inning. Testa, who scored two runs and drove in two, was one of four players with two hits for the Bulldogs (6-4).
After taking a no-hitter into the sixth in his first start, Carolina starter Luke Putkonen gave up five his in the first inning Wednesday, including a three-run homer by right fielder Matt Maloney that had the Tar Heels playing from behind for the first time this season. The Bulldogs sandwiched two more runs around Federowicz's first career home run to carry a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth. Putkonen went 3.1 innings, allowed five runs on eight hits and struck out three.
Carolina more than made up the four-run deficit in its half of the fourth, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six runs. Successive singles by Flack, Cox and Federowicz loaded the bases before Spencer plated the first run with sacrifice fly. Second baseman Bryan Steed and center fielder Mike Cavasinni followed with RBI singles. Fronk was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in a run and knot the score at five, and Horton singled to center to plate two and give Carolina a two-run cushion.
Gardner-Webb regained the lead in the sixth with three runs off UNC reliever Matt Danford. Testa tied the game with a two-run double into the left field corner, and third baseman Blake Lalli then doubled home Testa for an 8-7 Bulldog lead.
The Tar Heels then threatened in both the sixth and seventh innings, stranding runners on second and third in both frames before Cox's game-winning single in the eighth.
Carolina is back in action this weekend for a three-game set with Purdue at Boshamer. The Tar Heels and Boilermakers square off at 3 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
