University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Miami
No. 2 Tar Heels Hold On For 8-7 Win Over No. 14 Miami
April 7, 2006 | Baseball
April 7, 2006
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Closer Andrew Carignan struck out the final four batters he faced to preserve left-hander Andrew Miller's seventh win of the season as No. 2 North Carolina held off a late rally by No. 14 Miami to earn an 8-7 victory Friday at Mark Light Field. The Tar Heels (26-6, 8-5 ACC) scored in each of the first six innings to earn a first-place tie in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference with the Hurricanes (23-11, 8-5 ACC).
With the Tar Heels nursing an 8-7 lead, Carignan worked the eighth and ninth innings to take his seventh save of the season. After stranding the tying run at third in the eighth, he struck out the side in the ninth and has not allowed an earned run in 16 innings this season. He fanned four of the seven batters he faced.
Now 7-0 for the second straight season, Miller struck out three over six-plus innings to earn his second career victory in Coral Gables. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and a season-high four walks. He gave up his first home run of the season with no one out in the fourth but settled down to allow just a pair of singles over his final three-plus innings.
At the plate, the Tar Heels had eight extra-base hits, including key home runs from catcher Benji Johnson, second baseman Bryan Steed and designated hitter Tim Federowicz. First baseman Chad Flack was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and his first career triple, and third baseman Reid Fronk was 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. Steed and center fielder Seth Williams also added two hits each for UNC.
Miami starter Carlos Gutierrez (7-3) lasted just 3.2 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits to take his second straight loss. Designated hitter Richard O'Brien hit a pair of two-run home runs to pace the Hurricanes at the plate.
Winners of three of their last four at Miami, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Fronk was hit by a pitch, took third on Flack's single to right and scored on a wild pitch by Gutierrez with shortstop Josh Horton at the plate.
Johnson's second inning solo homer pushed the lead to 2-0. The Pittsboro product belted a 2-2 offering from Gutierrez to left center for his career-best fifth home run of the season and a career-long five-game hitting streak. Johnson now has three home runs in his last 12 games.
Fronk led off the third with a triple down the right field line and was picked off as Horton reached on a fielder's choice, but Carolina went on to load the bases before left fielder Jay Cox lifted the lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to left. Federowicz was hit by a pitch to load the bases for a second time in the frame before an error by UM shortstop Walter Diaz on a Matt Spencer grounder allowed the fourth run to score.
After Miami third baseman Danny Valencia singled home an unearned run in the third, the Tar Heels came right back to score for the fourth straight inning on Steed's homer down the left field line, the second of his career and first since March 2, 2004 against Appalachian State.
The Canes cut further into the lead in the fourth on the first two-run homer from O'Brien. He followed a single down the right field line by catcher Eddy Rodriguez with a with his first career homer to left center to trim the Tar Heels' advantage to 5-3.
But Carolina quickly regained its four-run cushion in the fifth on a two-run homer from Federowicz. Cox doubled off the wall in right, and Federowicz followed with a blast over the scoreboard on a 0-1 pitch from reliever Jon McLean to give Carolina a 7-3 lead.
Flack led off the sixth with his first career triple, a chopper into the right field corner, and came around to score on an RBI single to center by Williams to give the Tar Heels a five-run cushion.
Trailing 8-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Miami got within one on the second two-run homer of the night from O'Brien. After an error by Horton and a walk by reliever Jonathan Hovis put two on, right fielder Tommy Giles doubled home the first run of the inning, and Rodriguez followed with a sacrifice fly to center to cut the lead to 8-5. O'Brien's homer, which drove in Giles, was just the second allowed this season by Hovis.
The Canes threatened to tie the game in the eighth when second baseman Jemile Weeks drew a leadoff walk but was stranded on third when Carignan struck out Valencia, the Canes' clean-up hitter, to end the inning and preserve the lead.
The series continues at 7 p.m. Saturday and wraps up at 1 p.m. Sunday. Junior right-hander Robert Woodard is scheduled to start game two for the Tar Heels with classmate Daniel Bard set to go in game three.
