Baseball: Tar Heels sweep rainy series

Coach Mike Fox has repeated multiple times that his No. 3 North Carolina baseball team needs to find ways to manufacture runs.

This weekend against Seton Hall the Tar Heels (7-1) went to work and hit their way to a three-game sweep of the Pirates (2-4) in a rain-soaked series at Boshamer Stadium.

And no one did more than outfielder Ben Bunting. For the weekend" Bunting had 13 plate appearances and reached base eight times — that's an on-base percentage of .615.

""He's probably the toughest guy to strike out on our team"" Fox said, He doesn't have a lot of movement at the plate"" and he's putting the ball in play.""

In UNC's 10-3 win in the final game" Bunting recorded career highs in hits and RBI with three of each. Combine that with Bunting's two runs scored and the sophomore had a hand in half of UNC's run production.

Bunting and UNC's speedy lineup took advantage of the weekend's sloppy conditions — which included a rain delay of more than an hour in the third game — and benefited from 10 Seton Hall errors.

Yet while the weekend was filled with sacrifice flies bunts and small ball from UNC — Tarron Robinson won the second game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning — the Tar Heels did blast four homers in the series.

To start off the scoring for the weekend right fielder Garrett Gore opened the second inning of the first game with a howitzer blast that carried more than 400 feet" over the center field wall.

""That's everything I've got"" Gore said. There is no more in the tank. I just guessed right.""

In the second game of the series" UNC even managed to generate a 4-3 win with All-Americas Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager combining for just one hit and no RBIs.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the sixth inning Ryan Graepel led off with a solo home run — his first career homer — laced over the left field wall.

And in the final game of the evening it was Mark Fleury and freshman Levi Michael who both homered.

Michael came up huge on defense too making a catch on Seton Hall's A.J. Rusbarsky's fly ball in foul territory.

Crashing into the wall Michael picked up the out and knocked Rusbarsky off the plate.

Michael's catch was one of many for the Tar Heels" whose defense had to step up its game even past Fox's expectations due to the rain.

""It was hard"" Bunting said. I know it was tough for all outfielders on both sides tonight.

""Not only was it raining"" but the wind was swirling. And you had no idea where the ball was. You just had to rely on your teammates to tell you where it was.""

With UNC's defense holding strong against the rain and its offense doing anything it could to produce runs" the Tar Heel pitching staff set to lock down Seton Hall's offense.

All three of UNC's starting pitchers picked up wins on the weekend" and Brian Moran pitched 3.1 innings of relief work in two appearances and gave up only one run.

""Normally Brian just pounds the strike zone" and that's what you want — you want strike throwers Fox said.

Our team is still pitching and defense and we may not win pretty right now but we'll take 4-3" 5-1 wins.""



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