University of North Carolina Athletics
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Miami
No. 2 Carolina Evens Series With No. 1 Canes, 10-6
May 16, 2008 | Baseball
May 16, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Center fielder Seth Williams jump-started North Carolina's offense with a pair of early run-scoring doubles, and the No. 2 Tar Heels held on for a 10-6 win over No. 1 Miami Friday at Mark Light Field. Dustin Ackley, Tim Fedroff and Kyle Seager each had three hits as Carolina (44-10, 21-7 ACC) pounded out 16 hits to even the series at a game apiece.
Williams put UNC on the board with an RBI double in the second inning and followed with a two-run double in the fourth. The sophomores took over from there, as Fedroff was 3-for-5 with his team-best 10th home run, Ackley was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Seager was 3-for-4. In addition to Williams, Tim Federowicz and Garrett Gore also finished with two hits on the night.
On the mound, UNC right-hander Adam Warren (8-1) held Miami hitless until the fifth inning and finished with four runs allowed on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. The New Bern, N.C., native struck out seven and walked just two to improve to 21-1 in his career. Warren retired 15 of the first 17 batters he faced and allowed just two base runners over the first five innings.
After Brian Moran struck out five over 2 1/3 innings of relief, Rob Wooten worked the final 1 1/3 to close out the win. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and UNC holding a four-run lead, he inducing a game-ending groundout to first by Mark Sobolewski, who hit a grand slam to put Miami (43-7, 23-4 ACC) on the board earlier in the game.
With 12 strikeouts on the night, the Carolina pitching staff established a single-season school record with 549 on the year, breaking the previous mark of 543 in 69 games in 2006.
Miami left-hander Eric Erickson (7-1) was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits over five innings en route to his first loss. Sobolewski and Yonder Alonso each homered and accounted for all of the Hurricanes' offense.
The Tar Heels staged a two-out rally in the second to grab an early lead for the second straight night. After singles by Federowicz and Gore put two on, Williams doubled to left field to put Carolina on the board with two more runners in scoring position. Miami shortstop Ryan Jackson then misplayed a Greg Holt grounder, allowing both Gore and Williams to cross the plate.
Williams' second double of the night highlighted a second three-run outburst for the Tar Heels in the fourth. Back-to-back singles from Seager and Federowicz opened the inning, and a sacrifice bunt by Gore put runners in scoring position for Williams, who doubled to left for the second straight at-bat to drive in two. Williams took third on a Holt groundout and then scored on a single to left field by Ackley for a 6-0 lead.
After a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Federowicz lifted the Tar Heels to a seven-run cushion in the fifth, Fedroff connected on his first home run since April 18 off reliever Alex Koronis in the sixth. Ackley singled with one out for his third hit of the night, and Fedroff followed two batters later with a two-run shot to left on the first pitch he saw from Koronis to give UNC a 9-0 advantage.
The Canes got back in the game in the bottom of the inning with their second grand slam of the series - a shot to left off Warren by Sobolewski to trim the lead to 9-4. Singles by Blake Tekotte and Jemile Weeks and a walk to Alonso loaded the bases for Sobolewski, who hit his seventh homer of the year.
The teams traded runs in the eighth on an RBI fielder's choice by Chad Flack for the Tar Heels and a solo home run by Alonso, who also drove in Miami's sixth run with a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.
The series concludes with Saturday's 1 p.m. start on Fox Sports Net South. Freshman right-hander Matt Harvey will take the mound for the Tar Heels.
