University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Boston College
Harvey Pitches No. 4 Carolina Past Boston College, 8-1
May 16, 2009 | Baseball
May 16, 2009
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Right-hander Matt Harvey allowed just one run over a career-best 8 2/3 innings to lead No. 4 North Carolina to a series-clinching 8-1 win over Boston College Saturday in the regular season finale at Shea Field. Five players posted multi-hit games as the Tar Heels (41-14, 19-10 ACC) scored in six of their nine trips to the plate.
Saturday's win, coupled with Georgia Tech's loss at Duke, gives Carolina the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division title for the third time in the last four seasons. The Tar Heels will be the No. 2 seed in next week's conference tourney in Durham.
A Connecticut native, Harvey (6-2) turned in his finest performance of the season in his return to New England, carrying a shutout into the ninth inning. He struck out eight and scattered seven hits and four walks.
Harvey, who struck out the side in the fourth, faced just three over the minimum through five innings. He ran into trouble in the sixth when the Eagles (31-23, 13-15 ACC) loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, but Harvey buckled down to force a ground ball to preserve the shutout until a pair of pinch-hit doubles led to Boston College's lone run in the ninth.
Colin Bates picked up the final out for the Tar Heels, who turned a season-best three double plays behind Harvey.
Ben Bunting went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs, and Mark Fleury was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three runs to pace Carolina's balanced offensive attack. Ryan Graepel was 2-for-5 in his first career start in the leadoff spot, and Kyle Seager and Garrett Gore added two hits apiece. The Tar Heels pounded out 24 runs and 31 hits over the final two games of the series.
BC left-hander Pat Dean (5-4) was tagged for six runs on 10 hits and three walks over six innings.
Gore's sixth hit of the series capped a two-out rally and gave the Tar Heels a 1-0 lead in the first. After the first two batters flied out to left, Seager walked, Levi Michael was hit by a pitch and Gore served a single into left to put Carolina on the board in the first for the second straight afternoon.
Carolina pushed its lead to 3-0 in the second on RBI singles by Graepel and Seager. Mike Cavasinni drew a leadoff walk, Jacob Stallings reached on a bunt single and Graepel singled to center to plate the first run. Seager followed two batters later with a single to left to send Stallings to the plate with the second run of the frame.
The Tar Heels struck for two more in the fourth when Michael delivered a two-out, two-run single. Bunting singled, Graepel doubled down the left field line and Seager was intentionally walked with first base open. Michael made the Eagles pay with a single through the left side to push the Tar Heel lead to 5-0.
Fleury singled and scored all the way from second on a single up the middle by Bunting for a six-run UNC lead in the fifth.
Bunting delivered again in the seventh with his second RBI of the afternoon to give Carolina a 7-0 advantage. Fleury walked and moved to third on a sacrifice and a fielder's choice before Bunting slapped the run-scoring single to the right side that BC second baseman Matt Hamlet could not handle.
Fleury closed the scoring for the Tar Heels with a solo home run - his 12th - on the first pitch of the ninth inning.
The Tar Heels will be back in action at the 2009 ACC Baseball Championship, which opens Wednesday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The tourney schedule will be announced Sunday by the league office.
