University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Miami
No. 1 Miami Opens Series With 12-2 Win Over No. 2 Tar Heels
May 15, 2008 | Baseball
May 15, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Yonder Alonso and Dave DiNatale each homered and left-hander Chris Hernandez pitched 7 2/3 strong innings in No. 1 Miami's 12-2 win over No. 2 North Carolina Thursday at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes (43-6, 23-3 ACC) broke the game open with six runs in the seventh to clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division title, ending a run of two straight division crowns for the Tar Heels (43-10, 20-7 ACC).
Carolina walked a season-high 11 batters, seven of which eventually scored, and surrendered more than one home run for the first time since Feb. 23.
Right-hander Alex White (8-3) gave up a season-high six earned runs on a pair of homers in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven but walked five and allowed five hits, including the two home runs to match his season total entering the game. The bullpen combined to allow six runs and walk six batters over 3 2/3 innings.
Hernandez (10-0) struck out seven, did not issue a walk and held the Tar Heels to two runs on six hits. He retired 10 straight Carolina batters over the fourth through seventh innings before reliever Anthony Nalepa went the final 1 1/3 innings.
Chad Flack posted his seventh three-hit game of the season, and Dustin Ackley added two hits to lead the Tar Heels at the plate. Jemile Weeks and DiNatale had two hits for the Hurricanes, who needed just nine hits to score 12 runs.
Flack's 40th RBI of the season gave UNC a 1-0 lead in the first. Ackley led off the game with a single up the middle on the first pitch of the night by Hernandez. He moved to third on a pair of groundouts, and Flack followed with an RBI single to the left side of the infield to plate the game's first run.
After a pair of walks by White and an infield single by Jemile Weeks loaded the bases in the third, Alonso connected on a grand slam to left field to give the Canes a 4-1 lead. Alonso's ACC-best 17th home run was just the third allowed by White this season and the first grand slam surrendered by the Tar Heels.
Carolina manufactured a run in the fourth when Flack doubled to center field and scored on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Tim Federowicz, but Miami came right back with its second home run of the night in the bottom of the inning. After White issued his fourth walk, DiNatale sent a two-run shot to left for his seventh home run and a 6-2 Hurricane lead.
After the Tar Heels walked the first three batters in the seventh, Dennis Raben singled up the middle to drive in two and push the Miami lead to six runs. Ryan Jackson followed with a sacrifice fly, Blake Tekotte drew a bases-loaded walk, and Weeks singled to left field to boost the Canes' lead to 12-2. Carolina used four pitchers and walked six of the 12 batters in the inning.
Thursday's loss marked the third time this season that Carolina has dropped a series-opening game, and it came back to win both of those series - at Duke and at Maryland.
The Tar Heels and Hurricanes continue their three-game series at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
