University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Winthrop
Bats, Bullpen Lead No. 4 Carolina Past Winthrop, 20-4
April 15, 2009 | Baseball
April 15, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ben Bunting went 3-for-5 with three RBI and tied a school record with two triples, and No. 4 North Carolina got eight strong innings from its bullpen in a 20-4 win over Winthrop Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium. Garrett Gore and Ryan Graepel also added three hits, as the Tar Heels (28-10) snapped a two-game losing skid with their biggest offensive outburst of the season.
Carolina struck for season bests of 20 runs on 21 hits, and 13 Tar Heels hit safely on the night. After falling behind 3-0 in the first, UNC tallied 20 unanswered runs and scored in every inning but the fifth before the Eagles (24-12) added a run in the ninth.
Bunting, who also scored three runs, became the sixth Tar Heel with two triples in a game and the first since Kyle Shelton did so against VCU last season. Gore was 3-for-4 with three runs, and Graepel went 3-for-3 with three runs to match career highs in both categories. Dustin Ackley and Mark Fleury chipped in with two hits and two RBI apiece, and Brett Thomas connected on his first career home run, a three-run shot in the seventh.
With his two hits Wednesday, Ackley moved into second place on the Tar Heels' career list with 292 to surpass Chad Prosser.
After the Winthrop scored three in the first, the Carolina bullpen combined to allow just one run on four hits and three walks over a season-high eight innings. Right-hander Nate Striz (1-0) came on in the second, worked a career-best four scoreless innings and held the Eagles to just one hit and one walk, while striking out two, to pick up his second career victory. Logan Munson tossed two shutout innings and drove in two runs with a single in his first career at-bat in the sixth. Greg Holt retired three of the four he faced in a scoreless eighth.
Wintrop lefty Tyler McBride (1-2) allowed six runs on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings. Bryn Henderson had two hits to lead the Eagles at the plate.
Just as it did Tuesday, Carolina found itself down three runs in the first, as Winthrop took UNC starter Bryant Gaines deep twice. After a leadoff single by Cam Walters, Eddie Rohan hit his 10th homer to left, and Eddie Tisdale followed with a solo shot to right, his fourth, for a 3-0 Eagle lead.
The Tar Heels got one back in the first when Gore singled and scored on Kyle Seager's ACC-best 19th double, and then went in front with four in the second. A double by Graepel, an infield single by Mike Cavasinni and a walk to Jacob Stallings loaded the bases for Bunting, who laced triple No. 1 to the wall in right center to clear the bases and give Carolina its first lead. Gore followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Tar Heels a two-run cushion.
Fleury made sure the Tar Heels would score for a third straight inning when he ripped his 12th double to right to drive in Levi Michael all the way from first for a 6-3 lead.
Bunting delivered his record-tying second triple to lead off the fourth and he beat the throw to the plate on a shallow sacrifice fly to left from Ackley to put the Tar Heels on the scoreboard for a fourth consecutive frame and push the advantage to 7-3.
Carolina went for six in the sixth to break the game wide open. Three straight singles loaded the bases, and Seager (error), Michael (hit by pitch), Graepel (walk) and Cavasinni (groundout) all drove in runs without a base hit. Munson, who entered the lineup when Fleury went from designated hitter to catcher, guided a single up the middle to score both Michael and Graepel and boost the UNC lead to 13-3.
Five more in the seventh, capped by Thomas' three-run homer, gave Carolina an 18-3 lead and its largest offensive output of the season. Gore singled and scored when Michael reached on a Winthrop error, and Seager reached on a fielder's choice and crossed the plate on an RBI fielder's choice for Fleury. After a walk to Graepel, Thomas pinch hit for Cavasinni and drilled a 3-1 pitch over the right field wall to close the scoring.
Pinch hitters Ryan Norton and Matt Harrison opened the eighth with base hits, and Ackley followed with an RBI groundout. After a walk to Seager, pinch hitter Mike McKee singled to right to score Harrison with the final run of the night for the Tar Heels.
Carolina hosts No. 7 Miami beginning Friday in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series.
