University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
No. 2 Tar Heels Topple No. 20 Seminoles, 12-7
April 11, 2009 | Baseball
April 11, 2009
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Right-hander Adam Warren rebounded from a rocky start to toss 6 1/3 strong innings, and No. 2 North Carolina scored 12 consecutive runs en route to a 12-7 win over No. 20 Florida State Saturday at Dick Howser Stadium. The Tar Heels (27-8, 10-6 ACC) built a nine-run lead with two four-run frames and survived a ninth-inning FSU rally to even the series.
Warren (4-2) allowed three runs on three hits in the first inning but settled down from there and gave up just one hit the rest of the way. Over 6 1/3, the New Bern native held the Seminoles (20-11, 8-7 ACC) to just the three runs on four hits and a career high-tying five walks, while striking out six. Warren's first win since March 15 was the 26th victory of his career, which is good for a tie for fifth in school history.
Ben Bunting went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI, and Mike Cavasinni was 2-for-3 with a career-best three RBI and two runs, as eight of nine starters hit safely for Carolina. Garrett Gore, Ryan Graepel, Mark Fleury and Jacob Stallings each added two hits, and Graepel and Dustin Ackley both added two RBI.
FSU left-hander Brian Busch (1-2) was hit for seven runs on nine hits and two walks over five innings. Four Seminoles had two-hit efforts to lead the offense.
Florida State needed to send just three batters to the plate to grab 2-0 lead in the first, as Tyler Holt walked, Stephen Cardullo ripped a double to right center and Stuart Tapley singled to center to score both runners. A single and a walk moved Tapley to third, and he scored when Kyle Seager misplayed a grounder off the bat of Jack Posey for a three-run cushion for Busch.
Sparked by Stallings' first career double, Carolina cut into the lead with two runs in the third. Cavasinni drew a leadoff walk, and Stallings doubled off the wall in right center to put two in scoring position. Bunting and Ackley followed with successive RBI grounders to second to trim the FSU advantage to 3-2.
The Tar Heels knotted the score at three in the fourth when back-to-back singles from Fleury and Graepel put runners on the corners for Cavasinni, who lofted a fly ball to right to send Fleury home with the game-tying run.
UNC scored for the third straight inning and took its first lead of the afternoon with the four-run fifth, capped by a big double off the wall by Graepel. Bunting's second single, a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases for Gore, who singled to right center to score Bunting with the go-ahead run. Fleury followed with a sacrifice fly for a two-run lead, and Graepel then doubled off the left field wall to drive in Levi Michael and Gore to boost the lead to 7-3.
After reliever Colin Bates stranded two Seminoles in the bottom of the seventh, Carolina added some insurance in the eighth when Cavasinni singled to center and scored when Ackley legged out an infield single to third for a five-run cushion for the Tar Heels.
UNC continued to pull away in the ninth with four more. An error, Fleury's second base hit and a walk loaded the bases for Cavasinni, who dropped a single into left field to score two. Graepel then scored on a wild pitch, and three straight walks by the FSU bullpen, including a bases-loaded free pass to Seager, led to the 12th and final run for Carolina.
The Seminoles came out swinging in the ninth, as four straight base hits off Bates led to their first runs since the first. Jason Stidham, Mike McGee and Mike Meschke, who doubled in the fourth run of the inning to end the day for Bates, each had RBI hits before right-hander Matt Harvey picked up the final two outs to close the win.
The rubber match is set for 1 p.m. Sunday with a webcast available via ACC Select. The game will also air on the Tar Heel Sports Network.
