University of North Carolina Athletics
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UNC Greensboro
Putkonen Flirts With No-Hitter In Defeat Of UNCG
May 16, 2006 | Baseball
May 16, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 5 North Carolina got seven innings of no-hit ball from right-hander Luke Putkonen and held on for its record eighth shutout of season Tuesday in a 7-0 win over visiting UNC Greensboro at Boshamer Stadium. In the process, the Tar Heels (42-10) also won their 32nd home game of the season, matching a school record set a year ago.
Putkonen (6-0) struck out five and allowed two hits and three walks over a career-long outing of 8.1 innings. The Marietta, Ga., native committed an error in the third for the Spartans' only base runner until a seventh-inning walk. UNCG's Greg Feltes then singled through the left side on Putkonen's first pitch of the eighth to break up the bid for the Tar Heels' first no-hitter since 1999.
Putkonen's performance lowered his ERA to 3.13, which is third among UNC starters. Freshman righty Adam Warren picked up the final two outs in the ninth to preserve the Tar Heels' second shutout over the last three games. Carolina's eighth shutout surpasses a mark established in 1978 and matched in three of the last six seasons, including 2004 and 2005.
Josh Horton, who raised his average to an ACC-best .407, was 2-for-3 with three RBI to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Chad Flack and Benji Johnson also hit solo home runs for all the offense the Tar Heels would need to avenge their 7-6 loss to the Spartans (23-29) April 18. Flack drove in two runs and now shares the team lead of 47 with Horton.
Bryan Steed was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, and left fielder Mike Cavasinni tacked on two hits from the leadoff spot.
UNCG starter Jonathan Nichols (1-3) gave up four runs on five hits and one walk over 4.2 innings.
Flack gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead in the first with a solo shot to left center, his eighth, on a 1-0 offering from Nichols. Steed followed in the second with an RBI single up the middle, and Johnson roped his team-high 12th homer to left on the first pitch he saw from Nichols in the fourth for a 3-0 Carolina advantage.
Steed and Cavasinni led off the fifth with back-to-back bunt singles and moved to third on a Reid Fronk sacrifice bunt before Horton pushed the lead to 4-0 with an RBI single to deep short.
Horton followed with a two-run double in the seventh to cap a three-run inning for the Tar Heels. Flack drove in the first run when he was awarded first base on an obstruction call, and Horton laced a single to center to plate the final two runs for the seven-run final cushion.
Carolina closes the regular season with a three-game set against Boston College beginning Thursday at Boshamer Stadium. Game times are 6 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
