University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Elon
No. 15 Tar Heels Rout Elon, 16-0
March 8, 2011 | Baseball
March 8, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - What started off as a pitcher's duel ended in a rout Tuesday afternoon as No. 15 North Carolina took down visiting Elon (8-5), 16-0, at Boshamer Stadium. Freshman Kent Emanuel picked up the win tossing six one-hit innings for his second win of the year. The Tar Heels scored all 16 runs in the final six innings of the game. Up next is a 1 p.m. contest against St. John's on Wednesday.
Freshman left-hander Kent Emanuel turned in his second straight impressive start Tuesday as the Woodstock, Ga., native threw six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
Emanuel struck out five and lowered his ERA to a team-low 1.35 for the year.
Neither team was able to get much offense going through the first three innings as they combined for just one hit apiece before the Tar Heels struck in the fourth.
Jesse Wierzbicki led off the bottom of the fourth with a rope down the third base line for a double before eventually scoring on Jeff Bouton's first career hit, a single up the middle.
outon tacked on two more RBI in the bottom of the fifth as the Tar Heels exploded for five runs. Carolina sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning. Chaz Frank and Colin Moran each joined Bouton with RBI hits in the fifth.
The sixth inning was more of the same for Carolina as nine players went to the plate and five more runs were scored, thanks in large part to four walks to open the inning. Greg Holt came up with the big hit, a bases-clearing double that made the score 10-0. Holt would score later in the frame on a RBI double off the bat of Tommy Coyle
Moran added a RBI ground out in the seventh after Jacob Stallings doubled and advanced to third before driving in a trio of Tar Heels with a triple in the four-run eighth inning. Seth Baldwin also chipped in a RBI single for Carolina.
Emanuel's day ended after the sixth as he made way for fellow freshman Shane Taylor who threw a scoreless seventh, while striking out a pair of batters.
The Phoenix used a pair of walks to start a rally in the eighth before R.C. Orlan came on to shut the door with two strikeouts to end the threat.
Jimmy Messer threw a scoreless ninth in helping Carolina improve to 12-1 on the year and match a season-high six game winning streak.
Coyle swiped a career-high three bases in the win, while Carolina stole six bases as a team. Coyle finished 3-for-4 on the day with a RBI.
Moran was the big run producer driving in five runs on the afternoon, while Holt and Bouton chipped in three apiece. Jacob Stallings drew five free passes and scored four runs and Jesse Wierzbicki crossed the plate three times himself.
The Tar Heels will look to keep the hot bats going on Wednesday when they host St. John's in a contest slated to start at 1 p.m., instead of the scheduled 5 p.m., due to the threat of rain.
