University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
Tar Heels Take Series, Edge Tigers 4-3
April 25, 2010 | Baseball
April 25, 2010
CLEMSON, S.C. - A pinch-hit double off the bat of Brett Knief scored Ryan Graepel to give North Carolina a 4-3 win over No. 20 Clemson Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Patrick Johnson outdueled Clemson starter Dominic Leone to improve Carolina to 25-17 overall and 8-13 in league play. Clemson left seven runners on base and falls to 25-16 and 11-10 in the ACC.
Johnson (4-3) set a new career-high with 8.1 innings pitched. The junior worked into the ninth and allowed just three runs, only one earned, on seven hits with six strikeouts. Greg Holt registered a huge strikeout to earn his third save of the year.
Leone pitched a career-best eight innings allowing just three runs, all in the first frame, on seven hits with three strikeouts. The freshman pounded the strike zone in just his third career start. Will Lamb (3-4) suffers the loss allowing one run on two hits in the ninth and final frame.
Offensively, Ben Bunting led Carolina with three hits. Levi Michael added two RBI along with Knief posting the go-ahead hit and RBI. Dillon Hazlett also added a hit and RBI.
Carolina darted out to a 3-0 lead scoring three runs on three hits and one Tiger error in the top of the first. Michael knocked in two Tar Heels on a triple to the left center field gap and later scored on a RBI single off the bat of Hazlett. Leone ended the frame with a double play with one Tar Heel left on base.
Clemson countered scoring one run on two hits and one Tar Heel error in the bottom of the inning. Kyle Parker singled in Mike Freeman to cut into the Carolina lead at 3-1.
The Tigers knotted the score at three in the bottom of the second. John Nester doubled in one Tiger and Richie Shaffer knocked in another on a sacrifice fly. Johnson endured two errors early from the Carolina defense as the score stood tied at three after two frames.
Both pitchers settled in after the first couple frames to throw five consecutive shutout innings. Leone and Johnson each retired five in a row at one point as the game developed into a pitchers' duel.
Leone helped himself in the seventh frame with a great defensive play. After Seth Baldwin reached on a walk, Stallings attempted to bunt Baldwin over to second but popped the bunt up. Leone made a diving catch and then threw to first for a double play.
Lamb entered in the ninth with the score still tied at three. The left-hander prompted two pinch-hitters for the Tar Heels in Graepel and Knief, proving to be the difference for Carolina.
Both posted back-to-back hits with two outs as Knief drove in Graepel on a double in the right center field gap to scoring the veteran all the way from first. The Knief double gave Carolina a 4-3 lead entering the bottom of the ninth.
Wilson Boyd led off the bottom of the inning with a base hit to left field. Boyd then moved to second on a Lamb sacrifice bunt, which prompted Garrett Davis to enter the game with one out and the tying run at second.
Davis walked the first batter he faced to place the tying run at second and go-ahead run at first. Holt then entered to pitch allowing an infield single to load the bases for the Tigers with just one out.
The Tar Heels were bailed out by a base running blunder to give Carolina the second out of the inning. Shaffer was picked off of first base to assist the Tar Heels one out closer to victory. Holt, who was behind in the count 3-0, then rallied to strike out Chris Epps to seal the Carolina victory.
Carolina will be back in action next Tuesday at 6 p.m. hosting High Point at Boshamer Stadium.
