Hurricanes Pull Away Late To Defeat North Carolina, 18-9
April 16, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Ryan Braun’s two-run home run in the seventh broke open a tie game and helped carry Miami to a 18-9 victory against North Carolina Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd of 2,552 at Boshamer Stadium. Junior lefty Andrew Lane and sophomore closer Chris Perez pitched four and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief to help Miami improve to 29-9 overall and 13-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels dropped to 28-8 and 11-4 with the loss.
Lane improved his record to 2-0 and tied a career high with three innings pitched and struck out three, while giving up only three hits. Perez picked up his first save of the season with a one and two-thirds of work without allowing a hit and striking out two. Jon Jay was 3 for 6 with five RBIs and Braun was 2 for 4 with four RBIs to lead a 17-hit attack. Jonathan Hovis (3-1) was charged with his first loss of the season in four and two-thirds innings of relief for the Tar Heels.
Braun put Miami ahead for good with his 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot with two outs in the seventh off Hovis. The home run gave Miami an 11-9 lead it would not relinquish.
The Hurricanes scored seven runs in the ninth on a two-run double by Braun, an RBI double by Jay, an error and a two-run triple by Patrick Feeney for the final 18-9 score.
Jon Jay put Miami on scoreboard in the first with a one-out single to left field that scored Danny Figueroa from second base. A throwing error on the left fielder allowed Ryan Braun to advance to third and Jay to go to second on the play. Danny Valencia scored Braun from third on a sacrifice fly to left for a 2-0 lead.
Matt Ellington gave UNC the lead with one swing of the bat in the Tar Heel half of the first. Ellington put a 3-2 pitch from Camardese over the wall in left-center with two on for a 3-2 lead.
Paco Figueroa tied the game in the second with a one-out bases-loaded single to left that scored Alex Garabedian. Jay ended UNC starter Daniel Bard’s night with a three-run triple to center field. Robert Woodard spelled Bard and ended the inning by getting Valencia to foul out.
The Tar Heels cut into the Miami lead in the bottom of the second. Chad Flack drew a bases-loaded walk to score Chase Younts. Jay Cox followed with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Greg Mangum to bring UNC within 6-5. Vince Bongiovanni relieved UM starter Brandon Camardese to end the inning.
Walter Diaz led off the third with a slap single to right and scored on a triple to center field by Roger Tomas. Garabedian followed with a single to center to score Tomas and put Miami up, 8-5.
As usual, Carolina had an answer. Benji Johnson led off the third inning with the first home run of his career down the left field line to make it 8-6, Miami. Ellington brought UNC within 8-7 with a leadoff home run to right-center in the fourth. Josh Horton tied the game with a single to center that scored Cox from second. Senior Dan Touchet relieved Bongiovanni and retired Chase Younts to end the fourth.
UM retook the lead in the fifth when UNC third baseman Justin Webb made an errant throw to first on a grounder by Braun that allowed Garabedian to score from second base for a 9-8 lead. The Tar Heels opened their half of the fifth with a pair of singles by Mangum and Webb to put runners at the corners with no outs. Ellington tied the game with a sac fly to center to score Webb.
Touchet left the game with runners on first and second with one out in favor of junior lefty Andrew Lane. Paco Figueroa saved a run with a strike to catcher Eddy Rodriguez on Seth Williams’ fly ball in time to tag out Webb and prevent the go-ahead run.
Camardese pitched one and two-thirds innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits with three walks. Bard lasted one and two-thirds innings, walked three, struck out two and gave up six runs (five earned) on four hits in the shortest start of his career.
The Hurricanes and Tar Heels conclude their series Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Notes: UM’s two runs in the first inning marked the 31st game the team has scored in the first inning this season… It was Bard’s shortest career start… Braun’s home run was the 38th of Braun’s career, tying him with Charles Johnson for eighth on the school’s all-time list.
###
