No. 7 Miami Drops Extra Inning Affair at No. 4 UNC, 5-4
April 18, 2009
North Carolina 5, Miami 4 (10) 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With no outs and the score tied at four in the bottom of the 10th inning, Mark Fleury hit a walk-off single to center to score Kyle Seager from third, giving No. 4 North Carolina a 5-4 win over No. 7 Miami Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
The win secured the series win for UNC (30-10, 12-7 ACC) while Miami (26-12, 11-9 ACC) drops its second straight road series against a Top 25 foe.
Tied 4-4 after nine complete, Miami was unable to get anything going in the top of the 10th before UNC put the game away a half inning later. Seager tripled down the line in right off Kyle Bellamy to lead off the bottom of the inning. With a 2-1 count, Fleury sent the ball into right center, scoring Seager easily from third in walk-off fashion.
UM starter David Gutierrez allowed three runs on four hits while walking five and striking out two in 5 1/3 innings. Rene Guerra came on in relief of Gutierrez with one out the fifth, recording a strikeout and a walk before Sam Robinson got UM out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the game tied at 3-3. Robinson lasted 1 1/3 innings, eventually allowing one run on one hit before giving way to Bellamy. Bellamy (3-1), who would suffer his first loss of the season, allowed the one run on three hits while striking out one in two-plus innings of work.
In six innings of work, UNC starter Adam Warren allowed three runs on six hits while walking four and striking out seven. In relief of Warren, Brian Moran allowed a run in 1/3 innings, Colin Bates held UM scoreless over 2 2/3 innings and Patrick Johnson tossed 2/3 scoreless before Nate Stritz (2-0) earned the win after recording the last out of the top of the 10th.
Nathan Melendres finished as the lone `Cane with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored while Ryan Jackson, Jason Hagerty and Chris Herrmann each finished with one RBI.
For UNC, Mark Fleury finished 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored while Levi Michael went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Miami jumped out to the early lead with three runs in the top of the first. After lead-off man Scott Lawson grounded out, Jackson walked, reached second on a wild pitch and scored the first run of the game on a Hagerty single to center. UNC centerfielder Mike Cavasinni misplayed Hagerty’s single however, allowing him to reach third with one out before Herrmann immediately brought him home with a single up in the middle. The third run of the inning came when Herrmann, who had reached second on a passed ball, scored on a Dave DiNatale’s RBI single to center.
UNC tied the game up at three in the fourth with an RBI triple by Garrett Gore followed by a two-run single to right by Michael.
The Tar Heels threatened to take the lead in the sixth, putting runners on first and second with one out but Guerra induced a strikeout and after he walked the bases loaded, Robinson came on to get Ben Bunting to pop up to short to end the inning.
With the score tied three with runners on the corners and one out in the seventh, Jackson’s fielder’s choice grounder to short scored Melendres to put the `Canes back up, 4-3.
Fleury then led off the eighth with a triple off Robinson and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game at 4-4.
For the second time this weekend and just the third time all season, a capacity crowd of 4,100 was on hand to watch the match-up of two Top 10 teams.
Miami and UNC will play the final game of the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Left-hander Iden Nazario (4-1, 6.45 ERA) will take the mound for UM while the Tar Heels will counter with right-hander Matt Harvey (4-1, 6.75 ERA).
Game Notes
– Jason Hagerty has now recorded at least one RBI in 13 of UM’s last 15 games.
– Today’s game marked the seventh time in nine starts that David Gutierrez has allowed three earned runs or less.
– For the second straight day, a capacity crowd of 4,100 was in attendance at Boshamer Stadium.
– The 10-inning contest was just Miami’s second extra-inning game this season. (The Hurricanes beat NC State, 7-6, in 12 innings on March 6 in the team’s only other extra-inning game).
