University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wake Forest
No. 3 Tar Heels Fall To No. 30 Wake Forest, 6-5
March 10, 2006 | Baseball
March 10, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Second baseman Bryan Steed had three hits, and three different Tar Heels hit home runs, but No. 30 Wake Forest scored the go-ahead run on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 6-5 victory over No. 3 North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams Friday at Gene Hooks Stadium.
After trailing 4-3 since the third inning, the Tar Heels (11-2, 0-1 ACC) took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth on right fielder Matt Spencer's two-run home run, Carolina's season-best third round-tripper of the game. He took the first pitch from WFU reliever Josh Ellis over the left field fence for his team-best fourth homer of the season and a one-run Tar Heel advantage.
But as they did on two occasions earlier in the game, the Demon Deacons (13-3, 1-0 ACC) battled back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to reclaim the lead. Designated hitter Brendan Enick tied the game with a single through the left side off UNC closer Jonathan Hovis, and outfielder Casey Sterk drew the bases loaded walk to give Wake a one-run lead. First baseman Allan Dykstra, who was 3-for-4 on the day, and left fielder Brett Linnenkohl singled off Carolina's Matt Danford to lead off the inning and scored the game-tying and game-winning runs.
Steed singled to start a ninth inning rally for the Tar Heels, who had two on and just one out against Wake closer Ben Hunter, but they were unable to push the tying run past second base as Hunter notched his fifth save of the season. Ellis, who served up Spencer's homer, picked up the win in relief for the Deacs.
Carolina starter Robert Woodard went 6.2 innings and allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits and one walk. He struck out two. Danford (0-1) took the loss after being charged with two runs in just one-third of an inning.
Steed was 3-for-4 with a double and was the only Tar Heel with more than one hit on the afternoon. Shortstop Josh Horton extended his current hitting streak to a career-best 12 games with a first inning home run, and catcher Tim Federowicz hit his second homer of the season in the second.
The game was back and forth over the opening three innings, with teams combining for seven runs and three homers over this stretch.
Horton jumped on a Justin Keadle offering to give the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Third baseman Reid Fronk doubled down the right field line to lead off the game and scored on Horton's first homer of the season, a shot to straightaway center.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Linnenkohl drove in two with a bloop double to left in the bottom of the inning. Third baseman Matt Antonelli, who went 2-for-4, and Dykstra started the two-out rally with back-to-back singles, and Linnenkohl followed with the double that dropped just inside fair territory to score both runs.
Federowicz came through for the Tar Heels in the second with a solo blast to center to give UNC a 3-2 lead after two.
Antonelli followed with a solo homer of his own in the bottom of the third to tie the game, and Wake tacked on its fourth run of the game when Dykstra doubled and scored from second on a fielding error by Steed. The Deacons' 4-3 lead held until Spencer's two-run shot in the eighth.
Keadle went four innings and allowed three runs on four hits and one walk. He struck out three. Reliever Kyle Young held the Tar Heels to just one hit over 3.1 innings before UNC first baseman Chad Flack walked to start the eighth inning scoring rally.
The series continues Saturday and Sunday with 1 p.m. tilts both days. Junior righty Daniel Bard will take the mound Saturday for the Tar Heels with junior southpaw Andrew Miller set to start Sunday.
