University of North Carolina Athletics
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Boston College
No. 4 Tar Heels Top Boston College For Ninth Straight Win
April 20, 2008 | Baseball
April 20, 2008
CARY, N.C. - No. 4 North Carolina closed out its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference sweep and extended its season-best winning streak to nine games Sunday with an 8-2 win over Boston College at Cary's USA Baseball National Training Complex. Shortstop Garrett Gore drove in a game-high three runs and was one of four players with multi-hit efforts for the Tar Heels (34-7, 16-4 ACC).
On the mound, freshman right-hander Matt Harvey (6-2) earned his second win of the week and matched a career high with eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. He allowed just one earned run on six hits and three walks.
Brian Moran, Rob Wooten and Nate Striz combined for 3 2/3 shutout innings of relief, as Carolina lowered the nation's best earned run average to 2.15. Wooten, who allowed just two hits over 2 1/3 innings, entered with the bases loaded in the sixth and stranded all three runners and also worked out of a jam in the seventh to leave the bases full.
In addition to Gore, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the second and a two-run single in the sixth, Seth Williams went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Tim Federowicz and Ben Bunting added two hits apiece.
Boston College righty James McDonald (3-6) also went 5 1/3 but gave up five runs on eight hits and one walk. Tony Sanchez and Eric Campbell each had two hits for the Eagles.
At 34-7 through 41 games, the Tar Heels have matched the 1983 club for the best start in school history. Additionally, the ninth straight win gives Carolina its longest winning streak since it won 10 straight to open the 2007 season. The Tar Heels last posted back-to-back sweeps in ACC play against NC State and Duke in 2006.
BC (19-21, 5-16 ACC) scratched in the top of the second on a on an RBI double to right center by Sam Shaughnessy, but the Tar Heels came right back with two in the bottom of the inning to claim their first lead.
Federowicz started the rally with a double down the left field line and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Bunting, who picked up his first base hit since April 1. A single from Williams moved Bunting to second and a hit-and-run single through the left side by Gore plated the go-ahead run.
Campbell tied the game again in the third with an RBI single through the left side. Michael Belfiore drew a one-out walk, stole second and then moved to third with the Federowicz throw to second sailed into right center. Campbell then singled through the left side to drive in Belfiore with an unearned run.
MacDonald then settled down to retire 10 straight before Kyle Shelton sparked a two-out rally in the fifth with his fourth triple of the season. The Charlotte native laced a 1-2 pitch from MacDonald down the right field line, and Tim Fedroff followed with a single up the middle to drive in Shelton with the go-ahead run.
Carolina broke the game open in the sixth with five straight one-out base hits to grab a 7-2 lead. Federowicz and Bunting led things off with back-to-back singles to end the day for McDonald. Williams then greeted reliever Nick Asselin with a single through the left side to drive in the first run, and Gore followed with a two-run single through the right side to drive in his second and third runs of the afternoon. First baseman Dustin Ackley closed the scoring with a double to right center to plate Gore from second with the Tar Heels' seventh run.
Pinch-hitter Ryan Graepel closed the scoring for the Tar Heels in the eighth with an RBI single. Williams singled for his third hit of the day and moved to second a walk to Gore before Graepel came through with a two-out single up the middle to drive in his second run of the season.
The Tar Heels complete a midweek home-and-home series at Charlotte at 6 p.m. Tuesday and face High Point in Cary at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
