Bases-Loaded Hit by Pitch Gives Hurricanes 4-3 Win
May 15, 2004
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The second-ranked Miami Hurricanes evened their series with 16th-ranked North Carolina with a 4-3 win in front of 1,767 fans at Mark Light Field Saturday night.
Miami won the game in the bottom of the ninth inning as Jim Burt was hit in the shoulder with a pitch from UNC reliever Robert Woodard with the bases loaded to force home the winning run. Roger Tomas scored on the play to cap an inning he led off with a double off the left-field wall.
The Hurricanes collected eight hits on the night to improve to 37-10 on the season. The loss dropped North Carolina to 35-15 on the year.
Cesar Carrillo earned a no decision but pitched brilliantly for the Hurricanes, equaling a career-best with eight innings of work. He surrendered five hits and three runs (two earned) while walking three and striking out three. Danny Gil earned the win out of the bullpen to improve to 6-0 on the year.
Whitley Benson (4-1) took the loss for the Tar Heels after pitching 2.1 innings and allowing two runs on three hits. Garry Bakker, the UNC starter, went 5.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five and walking four.
North Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with the help of a RBI single from Marshall Hubbard.
UNC extended the lead to 3-0 with Hubbard’s second RBI on a single to right-center field.
The Hurricanes finally plated two runs in the sixth inning with a RBI single from Erick San Pedro and a bases-loaded walk by Joey Hooft.
UM missed out on another run-scoring opportunity in the inning as Gaby Sanchez’s double off the left-field wall with runners of first and second base failed to score a run. Brian Barton misread the fly ball off Sanchez’s bat and didn’t immediately make a move to third base. He was eventually cut down in a run down between third and home as San Pedro moved from first to third base.
Miami tied things up in the eighth inning as UNC’s second baseman Bryan Steed’s throw glance off San Pedro’s helmet and ricocheted into the Tar Heel’s dugout, allowing UM’s third run to cross the plate. San Pedro had been caught in a run down between second and third base on a ground ball from Sanchez.
Burt, San Pedro and Barton all collected two hits to pace the Miami offense. Hubbard led the Tar Heels with two hits and two RBI.
The Hurricanes and Tar Heels play the rubber game at noon Sunday at Mark Light Field.
