University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia Tech
Ackley, No. 4 Tar Heels Hammer Hokies, 15-4
March 23, 2007 | Baseball
March 23, 2007
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Freshman first baseman Dustin Ackley homered in the first and second innings and drove in four runs, and senior right-hander Robert Woodard struck out seven over seven innings to lead No. 4 North Carolina to a 15-4 win over Virginia Tech Friday at English Field. The Tar Heels (21-3, 5-2 ACC) hammered out a season-high 19 hits and four home runs en route to their fifth straight win over the Hokies (14-9, 3-4 ACC).
Woodard (5-0) won his 28th career game to move into a tie for second on Carolina's all-time victory list with Jim Dougherty. Woodard, who allowed one walk and two runs, scattered eight hits and worked out of bases-loaded jams in the third and sixth. Now a 28-3 in his career, Woodard has won his last 10 decisions and 23 of his last 24 dating to 2004.
Ackley, who was 4-for-6 with four RBI, wasted little time extending his hitting streak to 16 games with a first-inning solo home run. He followed with a two-run shot in the second for his seventh straight multi-hit game and the first multi-homer game by a Tar Heel since Jay Cox hit two against Cal State Fullerton in last year's College World Series. Ackley, who is now batting .500 with 35 RBI, also added an RBI single in the ninth and scored a career-best four runs.
Catcher Tim Federowicz went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI, while designated hitter Kyle Seager recorded his first career three-hit game and added two RBI on a sixth-inning single. All-America shortstop Josh Horton, who doubled and homered, and right fielder Seth Williams each added a pair of hits.
Senior Bryan Steed closed out the scoring for the Tar Heels with a pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth inning for the fourth home run of his career and his third career four-RBI game. Second baseman Garrett Gore extended his career-best hitting streak to six games.
Hokie starter Greg Fryman (2-3) allowed 14 hits and nine runs over five innings. Adam Redd, Jose Cueto and Steve Bumbry each had two of Virginia Tech's 11 hits.
The Tar Heels hit a pair of homers with two out in the first to take an early lead. Ackley put Carolina on the board with his solo shot to left, and, after a single by Federowicz, Horton followed with a two-run home run to right center for a 3-0 lead. The homers were the first for Carolina since the March 11 win over Miami, a span of seven games.
After Bryan Thomas hit a solo shot for the Hokies in the bottom of the first, Ackley hit his second home run of the game and third of the season to give UNC a 5-1 lead. Right fielder Tim Fedroff started the rally with a single to right center before Ackley belted a Fryman offering to straightaway center for a four-run Tar Heel lead.
After the teams traded runs in the third, Tar Heels tacked on three more in the sixth on an RBI single by Federowicz and a two-run single by Seager for his third base hit of the afternoon. Fronk was hit by a pitch and Ackley singled to put two on for Federowicz, who singled through the left side for his third hit of the day. Chad Flack was then intentionally walked before Seager singled up the middle to push UNC's lead to 9-2.
Federowicz also picked up an RBI in the seventh with a sacrifice fly to drive in Fronk, who singled to lead off the inning. UNC scored five times in the ninth on Ackley's fourth hit of the day and Steed's pinch-hit grand slam.
The Tar Heels and Hokies are back in action at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. A webcast of both games will be available through ACC Select.
