University of North Carolina Athletics
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Florida State
Balanced Attack Leads No. 2 Tar Heels Past No. 1 FSU, 10-6
April 22, 2007 | Baseball
April 22, 2007
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Designated hitter Tim Federowicz, second baseman Kyle Seager and shortstop Josh Horton each drove in three runs, and center fielder Seth Williams had a career-best four hits to lead No. 2 North Carolina to a 10-6 win over top-ranked Florida State in Sunday's series finale at Dick Howser Stadium. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for Carolina and marked just its second victory at FSU since 1995.
In addition to his three RBI, Federowicz also worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth with the go-ahead run on base and kept the Seminoles off the board in the ninth to earn his second career save. He allowed one hit and one walk over 1 1/3 innings.
Williams scored two runs and drove in a run in the ninth to go along with his four hits, and Horton, first baseman Dustin Ackley and catcher Benji Johnson each had three-hit outings. Seager and left fielder Reid Fronk each added two hits, as six Tar Heels posted multi-hit efforts and each starter had at least one hit on the day.
Carolina's 20 hits were the most allowed by the Seminoles since 2004 and the second most by the Tar Heels (33-9, 14-7 ACC) this season. Johnson's three hits marked a career-best effort and a season high, while Seager's three RBI were a career-best total.
In his first weekend start since April 1, right-hander Luke Putkonen (6-1) pitched well after a shaky start. He allowed two runs in the first before recording an out but settled down to strike out the side and went on to fan six over 5 2/3 innings. Putkonen scattered eight hits and two walks and left with two out and two on in the sixth. Closer Andrew Carignan allowed two unearned runs over two innings and issued a career-high four walks before Federowicz came on to close out the win.
UNC hit FSU starter Ryan Strauss (8-1) for career highs of five runs and 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings en route to his first loss of the season. He walked two and struck out four. Center fielder Mark Gildea had three hits to pace the Seminoles (37-6, 15-3 ACC).
After getting just 11 hits over the first two games of the series, the Tar Heels scratched out five singles in the first to take an early lead. Three straight singles loaded the bases, and Horton followed with a one-out single to left to score Fronk and give UNC its first lead of the weekend. Seager then singled up the middle to drive in Williams and Ackley and stake Carolina to a 3-0 advantage.
The Seminoles came right back with two runs in bottom of the inning on run-scoring hits by shortstop Mark Hallberg and right fielder Jack Rye. Second baseman Tony Thomas, Jr. tripled to right center on the first pitch of the game and scored on Hallberg's single to right. A Buster Posey single moved Hallberg into scoring position, and Rye followed with a double to right center to drive in the Noles' second run.
Putkonen, who had worked only three innings over the last three weeks, then settled down to strikeout the side and strand runners at second and third and preserve the one run lead. He did the same in the second, getting Posey to ground to short to end the inning with two in scoring position.
Carolina tacked on two more in the fourth to end the day for Strauss. Singles by right fielder Tim Fedroff and Fronk put two on, and, after an intentional pass to Ackley, Federowicz singled just under the glove of Thomas to score two and boost the Tar Heels' lead to 5-2.
After back-to-back doubles by Flack and Seager pushed UNC's lead to four runs in the fifth, FSU got back in the game on a two-run double by first baseman Brandon Reichert in the sixth. Putkonen put two on with a walk and a single, and Carignan came on to face Reichert, who cleared the bases with a double to right to cut the lead to 6-4. Carignan had retired 18 of 20 first batters faced and allowed just one inherited base runner to score all season before giving up Reichert's double.
Carignan struck out left fielder Ohmed Danesh with runners on the corners to end a FSU threat in the seventh, and the Tar Heel bats responded with two more runs in the top of the eighth. The third hits of the day for Williams and Ackley put runners on second and third, and Federowicz and Horton followed with a sacrifice fly and a single up the middle, respectively, for an 8-4 UNC lead.
After FSU scored a pair of unearned runs off Carignan without a hit in the eighth, the Tar Heels quickly got them back in the ninth on RBI singles by Williams and Horton. Johnson led off the inning with his third hit of the day, Fronk was hit by a pitch and Williams singled to left to drive in the ninth run of the day for UNC. Horton followed two batters later with an infield single for his third base hit and third RBI.
The Tar Heels are back in action with a pair of midweek games at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina hosts East Carolina at 6 p.m. Tuesday and High Point at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
