North Carolina Sweeps NC State Baseball, 12-4

Sunday, April 21

Chapel Hill, NC

2:00 PM

NC State

25-17, 0

North Carolina

28-14, 0

NC State

North Carolina

4/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 21, 2002

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - Adam Greenberg had four hits and drove in a pair of runs, and North Carolina downed NC State 12-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference baseball action Sunday at Boshamer Stadium.

The 12th-ranked Tar Heels, who swept the Wolfpack for the first time in a series since 1990, improved to 28-14 overall and 13-5 in the ACC. NC State fell to 25-17 overall and 4-11 in the conference. Michael Gross (4-3), the fourth Tar Heel pitcher of the day, got the victory after working 3 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief. He walked two and struck out three. Wolfpack starter Mike Prochaska (4-1) got tagged with his first loss after allowing six runs, all earned, on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out two.

The Wolfpack jumped on UNC starter Daniel Moore in the top of the first inning. Joe Gaetti led off and hit a ground ball up the third-base line that took a funny bounce past third baseman Chris Maples and into left field for a single. Brian Wright singled to right to put runners on first and third with none out. Justin Riley and Colt Morton followed with RBI singles, and after Moore settled down to retire Tim Coffield and Matt Butler on fly balls to right, Adam Hargrave singled up the middle to drive in another run and stake Prochaska to a 3-0 lead.

The Tar Heels got a run in the bottom of the third when Adam Greenberg walked with one out and came around to score on Sean Farrell's two-out double down the left-field line.

Sammy Esposito hit a one-out double for the Pack in the top of the fourth and Chad Orvella walked. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and Esposito scored on the play when Ianetta's throw to third went into left field for an error, expanding the Wolfpack lead to 4-1. The run became earned when Wright grounded out.

Jeremy Cleveland got that run back for North Carolina with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth. UNC added another run in the inning despite hitting just one ball out of the infield. Ianetta walked, and pinch-hitter Ryan Blake singled. With two away, Greenberg hit a grounder into the hole on the right side of the infield that went for a single to load the bases. Russ Adams grounded to first, but Esposito bobbled the ball, which proved to be a moot point because Prochaska didn't cover first base in time, and Greenberg beat the play for an RBI infield single, cutting the Wolfpack's lead to 4-3.

The Tar Heels took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Cleveland and Ron Braun hit one-out singles to put runners on the corners, and Ianetta hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Cleveland with the tying run. Blake walked, spelling the end of the afternoon for Prochaska. Reliever Phillip Davidson uncorked a wild pitch on his first offering, moving the runners to second and third, and Chad Prosser drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single to the left side of the diamond. Greenberg folowed with a double to right to add an insurance run and give North Carolina a 6-4 lead.

The Tar Heels blew the game wide open in the bottom of the eighth. Maples led off with a double to left and went to third on Cleveland's single to center. Braun walked to load the bases, and Ianetta walked to drive in a run. Chase Younts hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the second run of the inning, and Prosser doubled to right to make it 9-6.

Greenberg singled to right and went to second on an error on the play in right field, scoring two more runs, and Greenberg, who went to third on a wild pitch, scored when Adams reached on an error to make it 12-4.

NC State will return to action on Wednesday against Old Dominion at Doak Field. Game time is 7 p.m.