University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Winthrop
No. 21 Winthrop Tops No. 1 North Carolina, 12-8
May 10, 2006 | Baseball
May 10, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Heath Rollins picked up the win with 3.1 innings of relief and drove in what proved to be the game-winning run in the 11th inning to lead No. 21 Winthrop to a 12-8 victory over No. 1 North Carolina Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels (40-9) saw their season-best nine-game winning streak snapped and dropped just their second midweek game of the season.
Carolina, a loser for just the second time when leading after six innings, tied the game in ninth on a Bryan Steed single, but left runners on the corners in the 10th and stranded two more in the 11th as the Eagles held on for their first win over a top-ranked team since 1995. The Tar Heels left a season-high 15 runners on base, including eight over their final four trips to the plate, and matched a season-high with 16 hits allowed.
One of Winthrop's normal weekend starters, Rollins (10-3) allowed just three hits and one unearned run over 3.1 innings. Carolina closer Andrew Carignan (1-2) took the loss with a career-high four earned runs in one-plus innings. He entered the game having allowed just one earned run all year.
First baseman Chad Flack and catcher Benji Johnson each had three hits and two RBI to lead the Tar Heels at the plate. Johnson extended his career-best hitting streak to seven games, while shortstop Josh Horton singled in the sixth for an 11-game hit streak. Outfielder Mike Cavasinni and third baseman Reid Fronk also had two hits for UNC.
Second baseman Chris Carrara and left fielder Jacob Dempsey each had three hits on the night for the Eagles (38-12).
With the game tied at eight, Winthrop went ahead on Rollins' single through the right side of the infield off Carignan. Center fielder Tommy Lentz followed with a sac fly and Tyler McBride and Mike Konstanty added RBI singles for the 12-8 final margin.
Trailing 8-7, Carolina sent the game to extras on Steed's game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Spencer drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a sac bunt and a passed ball before Steed poked a bloop single to right to knot the score at eight.
UNC scored four runs in the third and scratched again in the fourth for an early 5-0 lead. Fronk doubled home the first run and scored on Flack's second single of the night for Carolina's first two runs in the third. Johnson followed a walk to Horton with his first RBI single, which plated Flack, and designated hitter Tim Federowicz tacked on a sacrifice fly to drive in Horton.
Cavasinni led off the fourth with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Flack's third hit for Carolina's five-run cushion.
The Eagles sent 10 batters to the plate in their six-run fifth to their first lead of the night. After back-to-back singles to open the inning, Winthrop got an RBI double from catcher Alan Robbins to break into the scoring column. Dempsey also had a run-scoring double in the inning, and right fielder Phil Carey tacked on an RBI single in the frame. An error by Fronk and a wild pitch by reliever Matt Danford scored two of the Eagles' runs.
Carolina regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth on two-out RBI singles from Horton and Johnson. Steed drew a leadoff walk, and Flack gained a free pass two batters later to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. After Horton's game-tying single, Johnson singled to right center off Eagle reliever Jonathan Settle to give Carolina a brief 7-6 advantage.
Winthrop retook the lead with two runs against Carolina righty Daniel Bard in the seventh. Dempsey reached on a one-out single and eventually scored on a throwing error by Bard to tie the game. Right fielder Phil Carey was hit by a pitch and crossed the plate on a single by shortstop Matt Repec for an 8-7 lead that held until Steed's single in the ninth.
UNC starter Luke Putkonen allowed four runs on six hits over 4.1 innings, while Winthrop starter Ben Halligan worked just two scoreless frames. The Tar Heels also got two scoreless innings of relief from Jonathan Hovis, who worked the eighth and ninth.
Carolina is back in Atlantic Coast Conference action at No. 9 Virginia this weekend. Game times are 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Davenport Field. The Tar Heels hold a two-game lead over the Cavaliers in the ACC's Coastal Division.
