University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
St. John's
No. 6 North Carolina Downs St. John's, 8-4
February 28, 2012 | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2012
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - No. 6 North Carolina used four hits from Colin Moran and a three-run double from Cody Stubbs in the eighth inning to claim an 8-4 midweek win over visiting St. John's Tuesday afternoon. Carolina improves to 6-1 on the year and have now won five straight games. UNC will host Southern California in a three-game series set to open Friday at 3 p.m.
Moran posted his second game with at least four hits in the last three games Tuesday night as the sophomore third baseman tallied four singles and drove in a pair.
Stubbs and senior catcher Jacob Stallings each contributed two hits with Stubbs driving in three runs with his double in the eighth and Stallings adding a pair of RBI singles.
Freshman right-hander Benton Moss earned the start Tuesday and did not allow a hit in the first two frames before encountering trouble in the fourth.
Moss departed after 3.1 innings of work and three punch outs but left a bases loaded jam for Shane Taylor to work out of. Taylor worked a 1-2 count on Frank Schwindel before Schwindel lined a ball at Stubbs at first base. Stubbs snared the liner and stepped on first to complete the bang-bang double play and get the Tar Heels out of trouble.
Carolina scored at least one run in the first four innings as the Tar Heels were able to hold a 4-1 advantage after the fourth.
Stallings drove in the first run in the bottom of the first when he singled through the left side after Tommy Coyle and Moran each singled earlier in the inning. Moran caused the damage in the second inning as Michael Russell and Parks Jordan both reached before Moran slapped a single through the left side to make the score 3-0.
An infield single off the bat of Parks Jordan in the third made the score 4-0 in favor of the Tar Heels before St. John's started to fight back.
After Taylor worked around the trouble in the top half of the fourth, Stallings notched his second bouncing single through the infield to plate a run and make it 5-1.
The Red Storm struck for a single run in the sixth before climbing within one in the eighth thanks to a RBI double from top hitter Matt Wessinger. Following Wessinger's double Cody Penny came on in relief of Taylor who threw 3.2 innings and struck out a career-high six batters.
Penny picked up a strikeout for the first out of the inning before Anthony Iacomini flied out to right to score Wessinger from third and make the score 5-4. Penny notched the final out of the inning with an infield pop fly that Moran was able to handle at third for the final out.
North Carolina was able to bounce back in the bottom of the eighth as Russell drew a free pass and Moran notched his fourth single of the night to put two on with nobody out. A walk to Stallings loaded the bases for Stubbs who went with a pitch and hit a line drive down the left field line. St. John's left fielder Jeremy Baltz was unable to make the running grab as he crashed into the wall and Russell, Moran and Stallings all scored to boost Carolina's lead to 8-4.
UNC was unable to add on any more runs in the eighth but junior stopper Michael Morin came on in the ninth and did not allow a baserunner as he struck out one in helping the Tar Heels claim the 8-4 win.
The win is UNC's fifth straight as the Tar Heels now improve to 6-1 on the year and will host Southern California in the final non-conference weekend series of the year. First pitch for the opening game is set for 3 p.m. on Friday, March 2.
