University of North Carolina Athletics
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No. 1 Tar Heels Down Duke 8-5 In Opener
March 20, 2009 | Baseball
March 20, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Levi Michael and Ben Bunting belted two-run home runs and finished with three hits apiece to key an 8-5 win for No. 1 North Carolina over Duke Friday in the series opener at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels (17-2, 5-1 ACC) extended their season-best winning streak to nine games and need just one more victory this weekend to lock up a point in the race for the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between UNC and Duke.
Michael, who was 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI for his third career three-hit game, homered for the third straight game to give him eight on the season to share the ACC lead. Michael's 26 RBI, including 18 in the last seven games, also lead the league.
Bunting was 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI on his second homer of the season. Dustin Ackley and Mike Cavasinni added two hits each, and Greg Holt had a key two-run single in the fourth when Duke (12-7, 3-4 ACC) had trimmed the UNC lead to a single run.
All-America Alex White (4-0) fanned eight over seven innings but allowed a season-high five runs on eight hits and three walks. The win was his first in three career starts versus Duke. Colin Bates retired six of the seven batters he faced to earn his third save with two scoreless frames.
Duke left-hander Christopher Manno (1-3) allowed five runs on five hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. He struck out five before being lifted following Holt's two-run single in the fourth.
Alex Hassan, Nate Freiman and Will Piwinca-Worms had two hits each for the Blue Devils, who also got solo home runs from Matt Williams and Jeremy Gould.
The Tar Heels scratched in the first when Duke third baseman Ryan McCurdy's feet got tangled up, allowing Bunting to score from second on Kyle Seager's pop-up single. Bunting drew a leadoff walk and stole second to move into scoring position for Seager, who drove in his 16th run of the season.
Duke tied the score in the third when McCurdy drew a one-out walk and eventually scored on Williams' sacrifice fly, but Michael gave the Tar Heels the lead once again in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer to left on a 1-1 pitch from Manno. Bunting started the rally with a two-out double down the right field line before crossing the plate on Michael's fourth homer from the right side.
Gould led off the fourth with a solo homer to trim the Tar Heel lead to 3-2, but Carolina answered once again, this time on a two-run single by Holt. A single by Garrett Gore and walks to Mark Fleury and Cavasinni by Manno loaded the bases for Holt, who served a single into left to lift the Tar Heels to a 5-2 lead and end the night for the Blue Devils' starter.
Fleury made sure Carolina would score for a third straight inning with a two-out single in the fifth. Ackley singled and scored from second when Fleury singled through the right side for a 6-2 cushion for White.
The Blue Devils got back in the game in the sixth thanks to run-scoring singles from Jake Lemmerman and Piwnica-Worms. Frieman doubled, Gould walked and Lemmerman singled to right center to plate Frieman with the first run. Piwnica-Worms singled up the middle two batters later to score Gould to trim the UNC lead to just two.
Bunting quickly got those two runs back for the Tar Heels in the bottom of the inning with his second career home run against Duke, a two-run shot to right center off Will Currier that scored Cavasinni, who legged out an infield single to lead off the inning.
After Williams led off the seventh with a first-pitch home run off White to cut the lead to 8-5, but Bates shut the door with scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
The series is slated to continue at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The Tar Heels' postgame autograph session, originally scheduled for Saturday, now will be held Sunday.
