University of North Carolina Athletics
Post-Game Notes
June 17, 2006 | Baseball
June 16, 2006
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery
The Tar Heels' victory over Cal State Fullerton marked the first time they opened the College World Series with a win in five appearances. Carolina's CWS victory was its first since 1978 and just the third in program history (now 3-8 all-time in 11 games).
UNC played its first extra-inning game in CWS play Friday (11 games). The Fullerton win marked the second-longest game of the season for Carolina next to a 14-inning win over NC State April 22. The game was the second-longest time-wise in CWS history and longest in innings since a 1999 Florida State-Stanford game.
Friday's win over the Titans matched Carolina's school record for single-season victories at 51 set in 1990 (51-14). The Tar Heels are now 51-13 in 2006.
Three hits Friday gave Chad Flack Carolina's single-season hit record with 104 in 2006, breaking the mark of 103 established by Jeremy Cleveland in 2003. Josh Horton also reached the 100-hit mark with a fifth-inning RBI single and now has 102 on the year, including the go-ahead single in the top of the 13th. Flack and Horton are just the third and fourth Tar Heels with 100 hits in a single season, joining Cleveland and Brian Roberts (102 in 1997).
Josh Horton and Chad Flack each had three hits Friday to match Mike Fox's Carolina record for hits in a CWS game. Fox had three hits against St. John's in 1978.
Carolina's bullpen tossed five shutout innings and allowed just five hits over the final five frames. Matt Danford worked two hitless innings to earn his seventh win of the season. Andrew Carignan picked up his 14th save (second in UNC history) and first since May 19 against Boston College.
Mike Cavasinni's 10th-inning single gave Carolina its 11th straight game with 10-plus hits. Cavasinni, who had a pair of hits in extra innings, now has recorded multi-hit games in seven of his last nine.
With nine strikeouts, Andrew Miller added the UNC single-season strikeout record to his resume with 128 in 2006. Sean Murphy held the mark with 125 in 1995. Miller increased his Carolina career record to 320.
After allowing five runs on five hits over the first three innings, Andrew Miller surrendered just one hit over his final 4.1 innings and struck out six over this stretch.
Andrew Miller allowed two home runs for the first time this season and just the third time in his career Friday against the Titans. Entering the CWS, Florida State was the only team to hit a pair of long balls off Miller, as the Seminoles hit four March 28, 2004, and a pair May 13, 2005. Miller had allowed just one homer all year before Friday - a shot by Miami's Richard O'Brien, Jr. April 7.
Andrew Miller's five earned runs matched his season high set against Maryland (March 18) and equaled versus NC State in the ACC tourney (May 24).
Jonathan Hovis worked 2.2 scoreless frames and has not allowed an earned run over his last 13.1 innings. Over his last 17 appearances, he has given up just two earned runs to lower his NCAA-best ERA to 1.23. Hovis has now appeared in 35 games this season and 103 in his career - both fifth in UNC history.
Reid Fronk's first-inning home run was the first by a Tar Heel in the College World Series since Greg Robinson hit one against Michigan June 5, 1978. Current head coach Mike Fox hit one the previous game in a win over St. John's in '78.
Benji Johnson's second-inning home run was his team-leading 14th of the season and the Tar Heels' 13th of the postseason, which leads all teams in the NCAA tourney.