University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Appalachian State
No. 1 Carolina Rallies Past Appalachian, 9-8
March 10, 2009 | Baseball
March 10, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ben Bunting, Levi Michael and Dustin Ackley each homered, and Tarron Robinson came off the bench for a pair of key late-inning singles to lift No. 1 North Carolina to a 9-8 come-from-behind win over Appalachian State Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels (11-2) and Mountaineers (5-7) will play game two of a midweek set Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Bunting, who belted his second career home run and first this season in the second, matched a career high with three hits for the third time and added three runs scored. Michael's three-run homer, which tied the game in the seventh, was his team-best fourth, and Ackley followed with a go-ahead solo shot for his first of the season.
All-America Kyle Seager went 2-for-2 with a triple, a double, two RBI and two walks and has reached base safely in nine straight plate appearances. Robinson singled in the seventh and eighth for his first career multi-hit game.
Colin Bates (2-1) earned his second straight win after closing with two strikeouts over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Lefty Brian Moran was key in the Carolina comeback, as he held the Mountaineers to a single run over the three innings and retired the first eight batters he faced before allowing a leadoff double in the seventh. Nate Striz followed, allowing just one unearned run over 1 1/3 innings.
Chris Patterson (1-1) took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the eighth. Wes Hobson, Rand Smith and Jerod Faggard each had two hits to lead ASU. Faggard added his first home run and three RBI.
With the Tar Heels trailing by three runs and Appalachian seeking its first win over a ranked opponent since 1982, Robinson started a two-out rally with a pinch-hit single off ASU's Taylor Miller in the seventh. Bunting was then hit by a pitch to reach base for fourth time, and Michael connected on a 2-1 offering for his second home run from the left side and a tie ballgame. Two pitches later, Ackley sent his first homer out to right field for the Tar Heels' first lead since the second.
The back-to-back home runs were the first by Carolina since Seager and Tim Federowicz went deep against UNC Wilmington in the 2008 NCAA Cary Regional.
The Tar Heels' lead was brief, as Appalachian tied the score at eight in the eighth on an errant pickoff attempt by Bates. Hobson and Smith singled off Striz, and Bates' throw to first sailed past the bag and ricocheted off the brick wall down the right field line to allow Hobson to score from second.
With the scored tied in the bottom of the eighth and Patterson on the mound, Ryan Graepel reached on an infield single, Mike Cavasinni drew a walk, and Robinson singled through the left side to score Graepel from second with the game-winning run.
Both teams got out of the gate quickly offensively, as both the Mountaineers and Tar Heels scored three times in the first. David Towarnickly doubled home the first run for ASU and was one of two runners to score on Faggart's two run single.
Carolina came right back in the bottom of the inning when Bunting singled, Michael walked and Seager followed with a two-run triple to center to put the Tar Heels on the board. Garrett Gore then singled to left to plate Seager and tied the score at three.
Bunting gave UNC a brief 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second on a solo homer to right, but Faggart answered for Appalachian in the top of the third with a solo shot of his own off Johnson to knot the score once again.
The Mountaineers regained the lead in the fourth when Nick DeRose drew a leadoff walk and scored from third on a wild throw to second by Carolina catcher Mark Fleury. Hobson singled, Smith walked and Isaac Harrow lofted a sacrifice fly to left to boost the ASU lead to 6-4.
Chris Alessandria pushed the lead to three in the seventh with a sacrifice fly off Striz to score Harrow, who doubled off Moran to lead off the frame.
In his first career starter, Carolina freshman Jimmy Messer allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 1 1/3 innings. Sophomore right-hander Patrick Johnson followed and surrendered three runs on two hits and four walks over two innings. The Tar Heels finished with a season-high seven walks allowed on the afternoon.
ASU starter Ryan Arrowood worked four innings and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks. Left-hander Nick Daniels followed with two scoreless innings in relief to hold the Tar Heels off until the seventh.
