University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
White, No. 5 Tar Heels Shut Down No. 3 Jackets, 4-2
April 3, 2009 | Baseball
April 3, 2009
ATLANTA - All-America Alex White shut down No. 3 Georgia Tech for eight innings, and No. 5 North Carolina's bats came alive late in a 4-2 series-opening win for the Tar Heels Friday at Russ Chandler Stadium. Tarron Robinson delivered a big pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth, and Levi Michael added some insurance with a solo home run in the ninth for the Tar Heels (23-6, 8-4 ACC).
White (5-0) went a season-best eight innings, limiting the Yellow Jackets (18-5, 8-3 ACC) to just two runs on four hits. The Greenville, N.C., product fanned eight for his fifth game with eight-plus strikeouts and issued a season-high five walks. White held Tech hitless over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and retired 13 of the final 16 batters he faced.
Colin Bates worked a scoreless ninth to nail down his fifth save and preserve White's 24th career win, which is good for a tie for seventh in school history.
Hits were few and far between on the night, as Georgia Tech right-hander Deck McGuire held the Tar Heels to one run on two hits, struck out 11 and walked seven over six innings. Zach Brewster (0-1) took the loss for the Jackets after allowing two runs on two hits over 1 2/3 relief innings.
The teams combined for just 11 hits on the night and no player had more than one base hit. UNC left a runner at third in three of first four innings and stranded eight over first five frames.
Carolina grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from Kyle Seager but left two in scoring position, squandering a chance to break things open early. The Tar Heels again missed a golden opportunity to pull away in the third when McGuire walked the bases loaded with just one out, but he threw a runner out at the plate on a dribbler back to the mound and then recorded a strikeout to keep the lead at a single run.
Tech used a sacrifice fly of its own to tie things up in the fourth when Tony Plagman drew a leadoff walk, took third on a Matt Skole single through the right side and scored on Thomas Nichols' fly out to center field.
After the Tar Heels were held hitless since the second, Mark Fleury and Ryan Graepel delivered two-out singles to start the go-ahead rally in the eighth. With runners at first and second and an 0-2 count, Robinson then dropped a pinch-hit double down the left field line to score Fleury with the go-ahead run. Mike Cavasinni then hit a sharp grounder to first that Plagman misplayed, allowing Graepel to push the lead to 3-1 with an insurance run.
Jason Haniger got one back for the Jackets in the bottom of the inning when he doubled down the right field line to score Jeff Rowland from second to trim the Tar Heel lead to 3-2. White then buckled down and got Plagman to ground to second to leave the tying run in scoring position.
Michael answered for Carolina in the top of the ninth with a solo home run - his team-best 10th. The freshman sent a 1-2 offering from Jake Davies out to left for his fifth round-tripper from the right side and a 4-2 UNC lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
From there, Bates struck out two in the ninth to close out the victory.
The Tar Heels and Yellow Jackets continue the series at 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be broadcast by the Tar Heel Sports Network on AM-1360 WCHL and 850 The Buzz.
