April 8, 2006

Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) - Miami senior Tommy Giles capped a career night by scoring the game-winning run for the Hurricanes in a 9-7 win against sixth-ranked North Carolina in front of 2,203 at Mark Light Field Saturday night. The win snapped a four-game home losing streak for the No. 17 Hurricanes, who improved to 24-11 overall and took a one-game lead on the Tar Heels (26-7, 8-6) in the ACC's Coastal Division.

UM was 0-7 on the season when trailing after the sixth inning and UNC was 21-0 with a lead after the sixth entering the game, including an 8-7 Tar Heel win on Friday. Giles' heroics and junior Chris Perez's dominance on the mound changed that Saturday.

The game was a see-saw battle that saw six lead changes or ties, the last of which came in a decisive seventh inning. With UNC holding a 7-6 lead, Tar Heel reliever Matt Danford issued a leadoff walk to Danny Valencia and was replaced by Andrew Carignan one pitch into Giles' at bat. Giles ripped his fourth hit of the night, a double down the right-field line and Valencia hustled home from first to beat the relay throw and tie the game at 7-7. The throw allowed Giles to move to third and tie the game at 7-7. Richard O'Brien followed with a single to center, pushing Giles home for the go-ahead run and the 8-7 lead.

Yonder Alonso's sac fly in the eighth scored Jemile Weeks an insurance run the final 9-7 score.

Perez, who entered the game with two on and two out in the top of the seventh inning, sent five of the eight Tar Heels he faced down via strikeout to even his season record at 1-1. Carignan, who picked up his seventh save of the season in Friday's game, was charged with the first loss and gave up his first run in 16-plus innings of work this season.

Giles finished the night 4-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs scored and three RBI. O'Brien and Alonso both drove in two runs.

Danny Valencia and Giles both hit RBI singles and O'Brien grounded out with runners at the corners to bring in Valencia for a 3-0 Miami lead after one inning.

Benji Johnson responded for the Tar Heels by hitting the first pitch of the second inning deep to left for his sixth home run of the season.

Miami regained its three-run lead with a run in its half of the second. Blake Tekotte reached on a bunt single and moved to second on Weeks' grounder. Jon Jay hit a sharp single to right to drive in Tekotte and put the score at 4-1.

UNC tied the game with a three-run third inning. Seth Williams singled to drive in Reid Fronk from third with one out. Jay Cox walked to load the bases and Miguelez issued a two-out bases-loaded walk to Tim Federowicz to bring the Tar Heels within 4-3. Matt Spencer tied the game with a RBI single that scored Williams, chasing Manny Miguelez from the game in the process. UM reliever Jon McLean was brought and forced Bryan Steed to ground out to third an end the inning.

Ricky Orta stepped on the mound for Miami in the fourth inning and gave up a leadoff single to Fronk. Josh Horton homered two batters later to give UNC its first lead of the game, 6-4.

Alonso cut the lead in half in the Miami fourth with single to center that scored Weeks from second. Giles led off the Hurricane fifth with a solo home run to center off reliever Matt Danford to tie the game at 6-6.

Matt Cavassini singled with two outs and runners at the corners in the sixth inning to put UNC back on top, 7-6. Andrew Lane spelled Orta and walked Cox to load the bases. Danny Gil was brought in and forced Johnson to fly out to left on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

The three-game series between the two teams concludes Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Notes: Jay was hit by a pitch in the first inning for the 13th time this season and the 28th time in his career, moving him into a tie with Kevin Brown (1999) for fifth on the single-season list and is now third on the all-time hit-by-pitch list ... UNC coach Mike Fox was thrown out of the game in the third inning for disputing a foul ball call ... UNC pitching coach Scott Forbes was tossed in the eighth inning ...