University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Davidson
No. 2 Carolina Downs Davidson, 23-7
April 5, 2006 | Baseball
April 5, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The starting infield of Chad Flack, Bryan Steed, Josh Horton and Reid Fronk each had three of North Carolina's season-high 24 hits Wednesday as the No. 2 Tar Heels downed visiting Davidson 23-7 at Boshamer Stadium. Fifteen different players hit safely and 13 drove in runs to lead Carolina to its biggest offensive output since a 24-12 victory over Princeton March 19, 2003.
Steed topped the Tar Heels with a season-best four RBI on three hits and a sacrifice fly. Fronk drove in two runs and tied career-bests with three hits and three runs scored to push current hitting streak to career-best eight games. Flack went 3-for-4 with a career-high four runs scored, while Horton was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI.
Catcher Benji Johnson and oufielder Matt Spencer added two hits as five Tar Heels recorded multi-hit games. Johnson, who extended his career-long hit streak to six games, also matched career highs with two runs scored and three RBI. Spencer scored three times and also drove in a run. Left fielder Jay Cox drove in two runs on a single and a sacrifice fly for his 29th and 30th RBI of the year, which leads the team and brings him within four of his career-best 34 in 2005.
Freshmen Matt McNichol and Mike McKee also got in the act with their first career RBI singles for the Tar Heels, who batted around three different times in the game - the first, second and sixth innings.
In a predetermined staff day, junior Matt Danford (3-1) earned the win in his first start since March 26, 2003. He went two innings and allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk. He struck out two. Four relievers worked the final seven innings with sophomore Mike Facchinei tossing two scoreless frames, and sophomore Rob Wooten striking out two in a scoreless ninth.
Davidson starter Rob Shenk (1-2) took the loss after allowing nine runs on eight hits and four walks over 1.2 innings.
The Wildcats finished with 13 hits on the night, including two each from catcher Alex Entrekin and right fielder Alex Osborn.
Carolina came out of the gates swinging, batting around in both the first and second innings to take a 9-2 lead after two. The Tar Heels sent nine men to the plate in the first, scoring four runs on four hits, and followed in the second by sending 10 batters to the plate, scoring five runs on four more hits. Fronk led off both rallies with base hits, a double in the first and a single in the second. The Tar Heels' first three batters in each inning crossed the plate.
In the fourth, Spencer laced a ball just inside first base and into the right field corner for the Tar Heels' second triple of the season and the first of his career. Steed then singled to center to drive in his second run of the night.
Trailing 10-2, Davidson got back in the game with four runs against righty Adam Warren in the top of the fifth. Entrekin cleared the bases with a triple to left center and scored on a groundout by third baseman Alden Crissey to trim the lead to 10-6.
But any thoughts of the Wildcats completing the comeback were thwarted in the bottom of the sixth when the Tar Heels matched their biggest inning of the season with eight runs on six hits. Nine of the first 10 batters in the frame reached base with run-scoring doubles by Fronk and Johnson highlighting the scoring. McNichol walked and scored to lead off the inning and followed with an RBI single later in the frame for his first career hit.
The Tar Heels reached 20 runs for just the second time this season with two more in the seventh. Sophomore Matt Iannetta drove in the first with an RBI single, and freshman Mike Cavasinni followed with a sac fly.
Three more runs in the eighth pushed the lead to the final 23-7 margin. Steed doubled home pinch hitter Nate Lape for the first run, and McKee and classmate Garrett Gore followed with back-to-back RBI singles to close out the scoring for Carolina.
With the season-best 24 hits Wednesday, the Tar Heels raised their season average from .324 to .333 in just one game. Carolina has now doubled up its opponents in the scoring column this season, 250-124.
After exploding for 32 runs in a pair of midweek wins, UNC returns to Atlantic Coast Conference action at No. 14 Miami for a three-game series opening Friday. Game times are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
