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Putkonen Pitches No. 1 Carolina Past VCU, 6-3
April 25, 2006 | Baseball
April 25, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Redshirt freshman right-hander Luke Putkonen struck out a career-high seven batters over seven strong innings and Chad Flack and Tim Federowicz each had big nights to extend their current hitting streaks to 10 games as No. 1 North Carolina claimed a 6-3 win over visiting VCU Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. At 35-8 on the season, the Tar Heels are now tied for the most wins in the nation.
Putkonen improved to 5-0 with the longest outing of his young career. He scattered five hits and two walks over seven innings and allowed just one unearned run to lower his earned run average to 3.21. Putkonen has not allowed an earned run over his last two starts, and Carolina starting pitching has combined to allow just four earned runs in the last four games.
After righty Matt Danford worked a perfect eighth, the Rams (22-17) made things interesting in the ninth as a pair of walks, Carolina's fourth error of the night and an RBI double by second baseman Scott Sizemore cut the Tar Heels' lead to just three. But UNC closer Andrew Carignan came on to strikeout the game-tying run and earn his 11th save. He is now fourth on Carolina's single-season save list.
Flack led the Tar Heels with three hits to match his career high for the 13th time. In addition to hitting safely in the last 10, he now has multi-hit games in eight of his last nine outings.
Federowicz's 10-game hit streak is a career-best. He was 2-for-3 against the Rams with three RBI to give him a team-high 43 on the season. Shortstop Josh Horton also had two hits on the night to raise his season average to .399.
Carolina got six straight one-out singles in the top of the first to take an early 4-0 lead. Federowicz and outfielder Jay Cox had back-to-back RBI base hits and left fielder Kyle Shelton followed two-batters later with a two-run single up the middle for the last of the six consecutive singles off VCU starter Jared Bolden (3-5).
After scoring four times in the first, the Tar Heels added a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk by Federowicz. Bolden was lifted without recording an out in the inning and finished his day on the mound having allowed five runs on eight hits in just one-plus innings.
The Rams got on the board in the fifth and cut the lead to 5-1 on an RBI single by shortstop Sergio Miranda off Putkonen. However, the run was unearned as left fielder Kwan Evans reached on an error by UNC third baseman Reid Fronk before scoring on the base hit.
The Tar Heels added what was an important insurance run in the eighth on Federowicz's third RBI of the night. Flack led off the inning with a double to right center and pinch runner Matt McNichol came around to score on a single to right by Federowicz.
VCU got solid relief outings from Michael Gibbs and Brett Walker after Bolden's shaky start. Gibbs struck out three over three hitless innings and Walker gave up just two hits over two shutout innings. The teams combined to use 11 pitchers on the night, including four in the ninth for Carolina before Carignan closed out the win.
The Tar Heels are back in action at 6 p.m. Wednesday against High Point at Boshamer Stadium.
