University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
Tar Heels, Harvey Top Tigers 5-3
April 23, 2010 | Baseball
April 23, 2010
CLEMSON, S.C. - Junior Matt Harvey pitched a complete-game with a career-best 15 strikeouts to lead North Carolina over No. 20 Clemson 5-3 Friday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Carolina scored all five of their runs with two outs to improve to 24-16 overall and 7-12 in league play. Clemson's Casey Harman (5-1) suffers his first loss of the season as the Tigers fall to 24-15 on the year and 10-9 in the ACC.
"It was a good as a performance as I've ever seen as a head coach," said skipper Mike Fox. "Clemson is a good team with the league leader in home runs, that just tells you how good of a performance it was for our team and Matt."
Harvey (5-2) continued to get stronger as the game progressed allowing three runs on six hits with 15 strikeouts en route to his first career complete-game. The Mystic, Conn., native caught nine Clemson batters looking at a called third strike and struck out the side three times.
"I was a little tired in the ninth inning, but I felt good out there," Harvey explained. "I tried to mix in my curve ball a little more than usual and my fastball came alive as the game went on."
The junior tossed the program's first complete-game since April of 2009. The 15 strikeouts eclipse his previous career-high of 13 and are just four shy of the single-game school record 19 strikeouts. Harvey has now struck out double-digit batters in four different starts this season.
Offensively Levi Michael and Dillon Hazlett paced the Carolina attack each with three hits. Michael added four RBI with a two-RBI double and two-run home run, his third of the season. Freshman Brett Knief added a RBI single for the Tar Heels.
Both pitchers were sharp early each allowing just one hit through the first three frames. Harman recorded five fly outs to keep the Tar Heels off balance. Harvey fanned four in a row at one point to stymie the Tigers.
Carolina broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth plating one run on three hits. Two straight two-out hits off the bats of Hazlett and Knief allowed Carolina to take a 1-0 lead. Knief doubled down the left field line to score Michael.
Clemson responded scoring two runs on three hits in the bottom of the frame. A John Hinson single scored Kyle Parker and a Brad Miller double scored Hinson as Clemson took a 2-1 lead after three straight hits.
Carolina regained the lead scoring two runs on two hits and one Clemson error in the fifth. Jacob Stallings led off the inning with a single to center field, but Harman fanned two straight Tar Heels.
Jesse Wierzbicki then reached on an error by the Tiger third baseman, which led to Michael ripping a two-RBI double off the right center field wall to score both Tar Heels. Carolina owned a 3-2 lead after five frames.
The Tar Heels extended their lead to 5-2, again with two outs, in the top of the seventh. Ben Bunting reached after getting hit-by-a-pitch and advanced to second on a groundout. Michael then ripped a two-run opposite field home run over the right center field wall to give the Tar Heels a 5-2 lead.
Harvey continued to baffle the Tiger hitters striking out the side in the sixth and seventh innings, for six straight punch-outs. The junior has struck out the side nine different times this season.
Harvey worked into the ninth, but Hinson led off the bottom of the final frame with a solo home run over the right center field wall. The junior retired two Tigers quickly and fanned another, but John Nester reached on a wild pitch strikeout.
With the tying run at the plate, Harvey struck out his fifteenth batter to seal the Carolina victory.
The two teams will resume their three-game set tomorrow at 11 a.m. from Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
