University of North Carolina Athletics
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Virginia
White, Ackley Send No. 2 Tar Heels Past No. 24 Virginia
May 9, 2008 | Baseball
May 9, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Right-hander Alex White struck out eight over six strong innings, and first baseman Dustin Ackley posted his second straight three-RBI game to lift No. 2 North Carolina to a 9-3 series-opening win over No. 24 Virginia Friday at Davenport Field. The Tar Heels (41-8, 19-5 ACC) won for their 16th time in the last 17 games and posted their third straight victory over the Cavaliers (33-16, 13-12 ACC) dating to last season.
White (8-2) held Virginia to just six hits and three runs in six-plus innings to move to 2-0 in his career versus the Cavaliers. After allowing three runs over the first two innings, the Greenville, N.C., product settled down and faced just two over the minimum over the next four frames without allowing a hit.
White left with one on in the seventh, and lefty Brian Moran, who tossed two shutout innings, came on to strand two runners and preserve a four-run lead for the Tar Heels. Rob Wooten closed with a scoreless ninth inning.
Ackley, who was 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the eighth, was one of three Tar Heels with two hits on the night. Shortstop Garrett Gore was 2-for-4 with two RBI for his third straight multi-hit game, and third baseman Chad Flack went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Nine different players hit safely for UNC.
Virginia right-hander Jacob Thompson (5-3) allowed six runs on nine hits and struck out three over six innings. Shortstop Greg Miclat tallied three hits and two runs scored, while second baseman David Adams was 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Wahoos.
In what was an anticipated pitchers' duel between two of the ACC's top starters, both teams scored a pair of first-inning runs. The Tar Heels went in front when Ackley singled and scored on a single to left center by Tim Fedroff, who later scored when Miclat misplayed a grounder off the bat of Kyle Seager to give Carolina 2-0 advantage after half an inning.
Virginia came right back to trim the lead to one when Miclat singled and scored on an RBI single to right by Adams. Adams came across with the tying run following a Dan Grovatt single and back-to-back walks from White, including a bases-loaded free pass to Franco Valdes to knot the score at two.
Miclat and Adams struck again in the second to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 lead. Miclat singled through the left side of the infield, took second on a wild pitch and crossed the plate on a single to left from Adams.
That lead held until the Tar Heels struck for four runs in the top of the fourth to grab a 6-3 advantage. Consecutive singles by Flack and Seager put runners on the corners for Tim Federowicz, who tied the game with an RBI groundout to shortstop. After a fly out by Brett Thomas, successive two-out base hits from Seth Williams, Gore and Ackley lifted UNC to the three-run cushion.
With runners on the corners, Gore singled through the left side to give Carolina a one-run lead, and Ackley laced a two-run double down the left field line to score Williams and Gore.
The Tar Heels added an insurance run the seventh when Ackley was hit by a pitch and scored from third on an RBI single to right by Flack.
After a 32-minute rain delay, Carolina opened up a six-run lead with two more in the eighth. A walk, a pinch-hit single by Ryan Graepel and a hit batter loaded the bases for Gore, who singled through the right side to drive in his second run of the night. Ackley followed with a sacrifice fly to center to close out his second straight three-RBI game.
The series continues at 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be carried by the Tar Heel Sports Network, and a webcast will be available live and on-demand via ACC Select.
