Fronk Slugs No. 4 Tar Heels To Series Win Over No. 24 NC State
April 29, 2007 | Baseball
April 29, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C. - Left fielder Reid Fronk hit a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning and added a game-winning two-run shot in the eighth to lift No. 4 North Carolina to a 7-5 series-clinching win over No. 24 NC State Sunday at Doak Field. With two straight wins over the Wolfpack (29-16, 12-12 ACC), the Tar Heels (37-10, 16-8 ACC) claimed their first series victory in Raleigh since 2001.
Senior right-hander Matt Danford (3-0) tossed a pair of shutout innings and struck out two to earn the win in relief. He handed the ball over to Rob Wooten and Andrew Carignan, who combined to strikeout the side in the eighth. Carignan came back to fan two in the ninth to nail down the win and his 10th save of the season.
NC State lefty Andrew Taylor (2-2) walked one over two-thirds of an inning and was charged with the go-ahead run on Fronk's second home run. Right fielder Ryan Pond led the Wolfpack with two hits on the day.
With State holding a 5-4 lead through six innings, Fronk roped a leadoff shot to straightaway center field to tie the game in the seventh and followed with his third homer of the weekend to give the Tar Heels a 7-5 lead in the eighth. Right fielder Tim Fedroff drew a leadoff walk and scored when Fronk, who was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI, belted a two-run, two-out shot to left off NC State's Clayton Shunik for what proved to be the game-winning runs.
Sunday's effort marked Fronk's second two-homer game and first since a series-clinching win at Miami April 9, 2006. Shortstop Josh Horton, who was 2-for-5 with two RBI on the day, and second baseman Garrett Gore also homered for the Tar Heels, and catcher Tim Federowicz singled four times for his sixth career game of four or more hits.
First baseman Dustin Ackley's ACC-best 53rd RBI of the season gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead in the first, and Gore pushed that advantage to 2-0 in the second with a solo home run. In the first, Fronk drew a leadoff walk, tagged and took second on a fly out and then scored on a single up the middle by Ackley. Gore's two-out, solo shot off State starter Jimmy Gilheeney in the second was just the second of his career.
NC State trimmed the lead in half in the third when center fielder Marcus Jones reached on an infield single and later scored on an RBI grounder to first by third baseman Joe Florio. The Pack then grabbed its first lead of the day in the fourth on a two-run home run by designated hitter Mike Roskopf off UNC starter Luke Putkonen. Pond started the rally with a two-out double to right center, and Roskopf followed with his ninth homer off the season for a 3-2 State lead.
Horton's second home run of the series and third this week regained the lead for the Tar Heels in the sixth. Federowicz led off the inning with an infield single, and Horton followed with a two-run shot down the right field line off Gilheeney to give the Tar Heels a 4-3 advantage.
Carolina's one-run lead was short-lived, as State came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to go in front 5-4. Catcher Caleb Mangum ended the day for Putkonen with a leadoff double and scored on an RBI single through the left side by shortstop Ramon Corona off UNC's Matt Danford to tie the game. Pinch hitter Tommy Foschi, who was walked by Rob Catapano after Mangum's double, scored from third on a balk by Danford for the go-ahead run. He buckled down from there to keep the Wolfpack off the board the rest of the way and setup Fronk's heroics before Wooten entered in the eighth.
Both starters allowed four runs, and neither figured into the decision. For Carolina, Putkonen went five-plus innings and gave up four runs on six hits and one walk, while Gilheeney allowed four runs on five hits, including two home runs, over 5 1/3 innings for NC State.
The Tar Heels will now break for final exams and will be back in action at Elon Tuesday, May 8.
