University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Miami
No. 1 Tar Heels Complete Sweep Of No. 11 Miami
March 11, 2007 | Baseball
March 11, 2007
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Top-ranked North Carolina rallied from an early four-run deficit behind a combined seven RBI from Benji Johnson and Tim Federowicz to score an 11-7 win and a series sweep of No. 11 Miami Sunday at Boshamer Stadium. The Tar Heels (15-1, 3-0 ACC) got 10 hits from the top five batters in their line-up and used nine pitchers to close out their first-ever three-game sweep of the Hurricanes (10-9, 0-3 ACC).
Johnson, who drove in a career-best four runs on a second-inning grand slam, Federowicz and Chad Flack each homered, and All-America shortstop Josh Horton had three doubles, as Carolina pounded out a season-high eight extra-base hits. Freshman Dustin Ackley went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple in the seventh for his fifth straight multi-hit game, while left fielder Reid Fronk and Flack also added two hits on the day.
Junior Tyler Trice, one of eight relievers used by the Tar Heels, picked up the win with a third of an inning of relief in the fifth. Junior Andrew Carignan earned his third straight save and fifth of the season by getting the final out with the bases loaded in the ninth. He nailed down saves in all three games of a weekend series for the first time in his career, and his 20 career saves are now fourth all-time at UNC.
Federowicz had the longest stint out of the pen with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. Senior Matt Danford also worked a scores frame, while the six other relievers did not work longer that two-thirds of an inning.
Right fielder Dennis Raben led Miami with three hits, including two home runs and four RBI, and second baseman Jemile Weeks was 3-for-5 with his third homer of the year. UM starter Manny Miguelez (0-1) was tagged for seven runs on five hits, including two home runs, and two walks in just three innings.
UNC righty Luke Putkonen allowed a career-high six runs on seven hits and one walk over four-plus innings. Miami jumped on him early with four runs in the first, three of which came on the first home run by Raben to put the Tar Heels in their largest hole of the young season.
Down 4-0, the Tar Heels bounced back with five runs in the second capped by Johnson's first career grand slam. After back-to-back walks to open the inning, center fielder Drew Poulk doubled home the first run. A hit batter then loaded the bases for Johnson, who drilled a 1-0 offering out to right to give UNC a 5-4 lead. Johnson is now second on the team with three home runs and extended his current hitting streak to seven games.
Federowicz's two-run shot in the third extended the UNC lead. Horton started the rally with a two-strike double to left, and Federowicz roped the next pitch over wall in right-center for his second homer of the year and a 7-4 lead for the Tar Heels.
The Canes cut the lead to a single run with two in the fifth. Weeks led off the frame with a solo shot to right, and first baseman Yonder Alonso followed three batters later with a sacrifice fly to center field. Putkonen was lifted with no outs after Weeks' homer and a double by Roger Tomas. Relievers Tyler Trice and Rob Catapano worked out of the jam to preserve the Tar Heels' one-run lead.
Miami threatened in the seventh, as Weeks led off with a double and moved to third with just one out before relievers Rob Wooten and Matt Cox came on to get the final two outs of the frame to strand the tying run at third.
Carolina then appeared to break the game open with three runs in the seventh on a pair of sacrifice flies and Ackley's second RBI triple in as many days, but Miami would not go quietly. Raben cut the lead to three with a solo homer in the eighth before Federowicz came on to strand yet another runner at third.
Flack got that run back in bottom of the inning with his first homer of the year, but the Canes went on to load the bases against Federowicz in the top of the ninth before Carignan came on to retire the potential tying run on a groundout to second by shortstop Ryan Jackson.
The Tar Heels are back in action midweek against Elon Tuesday and UNC Greensboro Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium.
