University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
No. 2 Tar Heels Tame No. 18 Tigers, 5-2
March 7, 2009 | Baseball
March 7, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Senior right-hander Adam Warren twirled seven innings of three-hit ball, and freshman second baseman Levi Michael recorded his first career three-hit game to pace No. 2 North Carolina to a 5-2 win over No. 18 Clemson Saturday in front of a capacity crowd of 4,100 at Boshamer Stadium.
Warren (2-0) held the Tigers to three hits and two walks and did not allow an earned run over a season-best seven innings. The New Bern product struck out eight for the second straight start before Colin Bates nailed down the win with a six-out save, the first of his career.
Michael went 3-for-5 with a run and a double, and Kyle Seager was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI for Carolina (9-2, 1-1 ACC).
Clemson starter Graham Stoneburner (0-2) went 2 1/3 and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks.
With the Tar Heels holding a three-run lead in the ninth, right fielder Garrett Gore saved two runs when he robbed Clemson's Wilson Boyd of a two-run home run and doubled Ben Paulsen off first base to extinguish the Tigers' rally. Bates then induced a Kyle Parker grounder to close out the win.
Clemson (6-3, 1-1 ACC) took advantage on a first-inning error for the Tar Heels to grab a 1-0 lead on Boyd's RBI single. Brad Miller reached on a Seager throwing error to open the game, took second on a wild pitch and crossed the plate on Boyd's single through the right side.
Carolina responded in the bottom of the inning to quickly tie the game on Seager's run-scoring single. Michael started the rally with a single off the pitcher, stole second and beat a throw to the plate on Seager's single to right to knot the score at one.
A quartet of bases-loaded walks gave the Tar Heels a four-run third and a 5-1 lead. Michael doubled, Dustin Ackley reached on an error and Seager singled to load the bases for Carolina against Stoneburner. After Michael was thrown out at the plate on a Gore fielder's choice for the first out, Tiger reliever Craig Gullickson issued successive RBI walks to Mark Fleury, Ryan Graepel and Mike Cavasinni. Will Lamb struck out Brett Thomas to briefly stop the bleeding, but Ben Bunting drew the fourth run-scoring free pass to drive in the fourth run on the inning.
Warren, who is the Tar Heels' career leader in winning percentage, moved into a tie for sixth in career victories at Carolina with his 24th win.
The rubber game of the series is set for 1 p.m. Sunday with right-hander Matt Harvey on the mound for the Tar Heels opposite Clemson's Chris Dwyer.
