Published Mar 10, 2004
Adams Walk-Off Homer Lifts UNC Past High Point
UNC Athletic Communications
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Senior Mell Adams hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom the 10th inning to lift North Carolina (10-3) to a 9-7 come-back win over High Point (3-13) Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium. With the dramatic win, the Tar Heels keep their winning streak alive at six games and move to 10-0 at home this season.
With Carolina trailing 7-6 entering the ninth, catcher Chris Iannetta came through with an RBI single through the left side to send the game to extra innings and set the stage for Adams. After UNC reliever Robert Woodard retired the side in the top of the 10th, freshman Bryan Steed drew a walk before Adams hit the game-winning two-run blast over the left field wall. The shot was his second homer of the year and came off High Point reliever Mark Shorey, who falls to 1-4 with the loss. Woodard (1-1) earned the win for Carolina with 1.2 scoreless innings.
Junior Marshall Hubbard hit a pair of solo home runs and went 2-for-5 at the plate to lead the Tar Heel offense. He leads Carolina with six home runs and 19 RBI and now has three homers in the last two games and has hit at least one round-tripper in three of the last four contests.
Center fielder Chris Ramirez and first baseman Josh Cotten each had three hits to lead High Point. Panther starter Matt Kniginyzky worked seven solid innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out three.
High Point took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single to left from Cotten, who had the third of three consecutive singles for the Panthers. The run snapped a stretch of 19 consecutive scoreless innings by the Tar Heel pitching staff, but UNC bounced back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to quickly claim a 2-1 lead. Iannetta drove in the Greg Mangum with a sacrifice fly to left for the first run, and Hubbard gave Carolina the lead with his first homer of the day.
The Tar Heel lead was short-lived as High Point scored three runs on a bases-loaded double to right by catcher Matt Keever in the second. That hit chased Carolina senior starter Scott Manshack, who allowed four runs on six hits and a walk, after just 1.1 innings. Sophomore Jonathan Hovis came on to get the final two outs and worked 3.1 innings.
Down 4-2, Carolina tied the game on a pair of unearned runs. The Tar Heels trimmed the lead to 4-3 in the second when right fielder Mike Daniel, who doubled to right, scored on a fielding error by Panther second baseman Rey Rojas. UNC tied the game in the fourth when Daniel scored from second on an error by High Point left fielder Josh Doane.
The Panthers reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by right fielder Chris Draska, but both runs off Hovis were unearned as Carolina committed a pair of errors in the inning.
Hubbard's second homer of the day came in the fifth and cut the Panther lead to 6-5, but High Point's Cotton got that run back in the eighth with a solo shot to left center.
The Tar Heels scored a third unearned run in the eighth to cut the advantage to 7-6 and set up the dramatic late innings. After singles by designated hitter Matt Ellington and pinch hitter Ross Cook, Adams reached on an error by Rojas, which allowed Ellington to score.
With the victory, the Tar Heels improve to 6-0 on their current 11-game home stand.
Carolina hosts California (10-12) for a three-game series this weekend at Boshamer Stadium. Games are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. at both Saturday and Sunday.