University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
UNC Wilmington
Ackley, Fleury Slug No. 1 Carolina Past UNCW
April 21, 2009 | Baseball
April 21, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Dustin Ackley and Mark Fleury connected on three-run home runs in the fifth inning for just about all the offense No. 1 North Carolina would need in a 7-5 win over UNC Wilmington Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium. Down 4-0 before the pair of homers, the Tar Heels (32-10) rallied for their largest come-from-behind victory of the season and their ninth straight over the Seahawks (21-15).
Carolina right-hander Jimmy Messer (2-0) worked a career-best 5 2/3 innings and faced the minimum through four but allowed five runs on five hits over his final 1 2/3 innings of work. He finished with five strikeouts and walked two.
Relief ace Colin Bates took over there, tossing 3 1/3 shutout innings and striking out three to earn his sixth save.
In addition to Fleury, who went 3-for-3 with a homer and a double among his career-high-tying three hits, Kyle Seager was 2-for-3 with a triple and two walks to extend his current hitting streak to 13 games. Garrett Gore also added two hits for the Tar Heels, who got at least one base hit and one run scored from the top seven hitters in the order.
UNCW starter Cameron Roth kept the Tar Heels off the board until the fifth but ended his night with four runs allowed on seven hits and four walks in just 4 1/3. Steven Davis (3-1) suffered the loss after allowing the go-head run in the fifth on Fleury's home run.
Matt Holt was 2-for-3 with three RBI to pace UNCW offensively.
Messer retired the first 12 batters he faced on just 40 pitches before running into trouble in the fifth. David Shambley singled up the middle on the first pitch of the inning, and a pair of walks loaded the bases for Holt, who singled through the left side to score two. Thomas Pope followed with an RBI groundout, and Ben Thielsen closed the scoring with an RBI single up the middle for a 4-0 UNCW lead.
Ackley needed just one swing of the bat to bring the Tar Heels within a single run with his team-best 12th homer in the bottom of the inning. Ben Bunting drew a one-out walk, Gore singled to center and Ackley took a 1-2 offering from Roth out to right center for a three-run shot, his first since April 12.
Seager then tripled off the right field wall to end the night for Roth, Levi Michael was hit by Davis and Fleury smacked a 3-2 pitch to straight-away center for the Tar Heels' second three-run homer of the frame and a 6-4 lead. Fleury's long ball was his eighth and first since April 1.
The Seahawks got one back in the sixth when Andrew Cain reached on a fielder's choice and scored when Holt doubled to left. Mike Rooney tried to score the game-tying run from first on the play but was thrown out at the plate 7-6-2.
The Tar Heels had a runner thrown out at the plate in the bottom of the seventh for the second time on the night when Seager walked and was put out 9-4-2 on Fleury's third hit of the night, a double to right.
UNC picked up some insurance in the eighth when Ryan Graepel singled and scored from second on a throwing error by Rooney for a two-run cushion. The Tar Heels went on the load the bases but missed on a chance to break the game open.
From there, Bates retired the side in the ninth to close out the win.
Carolina returns to action Wednesday in Greenville against No. 24 East Carolina at 6 p.m.
