University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Winthrop
No. 7 Tar Heels Take 12-6 Win Over Winthrop
April 5, 2011 | Baseball
April 5, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The top of the order provided five hits, four runs and stole four bases for No. 7 North Carolina (27-4) Tuesday night as the Tar Heels claimed a 12-6 win over Winthrop (14-14) at Boshamer Stadium. Senior Greg Holt picked up the win throwing a scoreless inning of relief to help Carolina to its best start since 1983 as the Tar Heels improved to 27-4 on the year.
Lead off man Ben Bunting reached four times on the night with a 3-for-5 performance and a walk, while scoring a run and driving in two more. Bunting also swiped two bases in the Carolina win. Levi Michael also reached base four times with a 2-for-4, one run, two RBI night. Not to be outdone was Tommy Coyle who tallied a pair of hits, drove in a run and scored two more.
The bottom third of the lineup was just as dangerous as the top thanks to Tom Zengel who drove in a career-high three runs on the night, including his second triple of the season, while going 2-for-4 at the dish.
Matt Roberts tallied his first hit as a Tar Heel with a single in the second inning and finished with two hits and two runs.
Seth Baldwin was 2-for-3 on the evening with a season-high three runs scored and two RBI.
Carolina trotted out eight different pitchers in the contest and did not allow a run in the final three frames as Greg Holt improved to 5-0 on the year with the victory as the right-hander threw an inning of scoreless relief picking up all three outs via strikeout.
The Tar Heels fell behind for the eighth straight game as Winthrop pushed across a run in the top of the first before Carolina rattled off a four-run second inning.
Jacob Stallings was hit by a pitch to open the second and moved to second on a ground out before a fly out put two early outs on the board. Tom Zengel came up with the first run-producing hit of the inning, a singe to left field before fellow freshman Matt Roberts tallied his first career hit.
Roberts doubled to left center to put a pair of runners in scoring position for Seth Baldwin who laced a triple off the right field wall to clear the bases and put Carolina in front 3-1. Ben Bunting took a pitch to left field to score Baldwin and made it 4-1 after two full.
Winthrop knocked starter Cody Stiles out of the game in the third when the Eagles pushed across another run with a walk and a pair of singles as freshman Tate Parrish came on. Parrish forced a 4-6-3 double play to get the Tar Heels out of the jam and back to the plate.
Another triple, this time from Chaz Frank made the score 5-2 in favor of the Tar Heels.
Winthrop pulled two back in the fourth and another pair of runs in the sixth knotted the score at 6-6 before Holt notched a strikeout to end the frame.
Caroline erupted for another four-spot in the sixth as the trio of Bunting, Michael and Coyle posted three straight singles to give the Tar Heels the lead.
Following a sacrifice bunt from Stallings and a walk by Colin Moran, Chaz Frank hit a slow roller to short that nearly ended the inning but Winthrop's Matt Lobacz was unable to corral the relay throw to complete the double play.
The very next batter, Tom Zengel, made the Eagles pay as he tripled home two more Tar Heel runs to stretch the lead to 10-6. Carolina would add single insurance runs in the seventh and eighth to provide the final tally.
Michael Morin provided the best relief performance of the evening the sophomore threw 1.1 innings and allowed just hit while picking up a strikeout. Freshmen Andrew Smith and Hobbs Johnson combined for the final scoreless ninth.
With the win Carolina is 27-4 which is the best 31-game start to a season since the 1983 squad accomplished the same feat.
Up next for Carolina is a trip to Tallahassee, Fla. for a three-game set with the Florida State Seminoles.
