North Carolina
Florida State
Heels Win A Thriller At Boshamer, 6-5
May 13, 2000 | Baseball
May 13, 2000
Box Score & Play-by-Play| Quotes
Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Chris Maples's pinch-hit, ninth-inning double to the gap in right knocked home the game-winning run for No. 12 North Carolina, as the Tar Heels scored a 6-5 win over the fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles Saturday evening at Boshamer Stadium in front of a capacity crowd of 2,488. Dan Moylan crossed home plate for the winning run with two outs in the inning as the Tar Heels got their first win over FSU since April 10, 1998.
In a game that was well-played and close throughout, Carolina led 5-4 entering the top of the ninth inning before Karl Jernigan's sacrifice fly off of Tar Heel closer Derrick DePriest scored Marshall McDougall to tie the game 5-5. But one day after the two teams played 13 innings before FSU took a 6-2 win, Carolina rallied with two outs in the bottom half of the inning. Moylan doubled down the left-field line to get the rally started and Ryan Earey walked to set the scene for Maples, who pinch hit for Jay Madeira. Maples connected on the Chris Ginn pitch for his seventh double of the season and the win.
Chris Elmore scattered four runs on nine hits while striking out five batters over 6.1 solid innings as the Carolina starter. Derrick DePriest (3-4), who allowed one run over 1.2 innings, was credited with the win. Robby Read (2-1) took the loss.
Just as in Friday's series-opener, Carolina got on the board first. A day after going 3-for-6 while knocking in both Tar Heel runs, Ryan Earey's RBI single up the middle in the first inning gave UNC an early 1-0 lead.
FSU answered with a run of their own in the top of the second to knot the score at 1. Blair McCaleb doubled home Chris Smith and then threatened for more before Chris Elmore got John-Ford Griffin, the ACC's leading hitter, to strike out and end the inning.
Three UNC runs in the fourth broke the 1-1 tie and gave Carolina a 4-1 advantage. Carolina managed no hits in the inning, but two hit batters, an error, two fielder's choice plays and a well-placed sacrifice bunt down the first-base line by Chad Prosser, who was dazzling all night at shortstop, provided enough offense for the Tar Heel lead.
Jernigan and Carolina DH Ryan Mathews traded solo homers in the sixth inning and FSU added two more runs in the top of the seventh to cut the Carolina lead to 5-4. The Seminoles again threatened for much more, but a stellar play in centerfield by Adam Greenberg held FSU to just two runs despite their having the bases loaded with only one out. Greenberg caught pinch hitter John Halliday's fly to center and then gunned down Jernigan at third base on his attempt to advance before Ryan Barthelemy could cross home plate from third base.
Carolina improves to 43-12, 12-11 in the ACC, while FSU drops to 42-13, 14-9 in league play. The two teams conclude their three-game series Sunday at 1:30 p.m. before heading to Fort Mill, S.C., for next week's ACC Tournament.
