Feb. 20, 2005

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina's record-setting consecutive scoreless inning streak might have been halted at 32, but Chase Younts' eighth-inning RBI triple lifted the No.7-ranked Tar Heels (4-0) to their fourth consecutive win, a 5-2 come-from-behind victory over Seton Hall (0-3) in the series finale Sunday at Boshamer Stadium.

The Pirates' pair of unearned runs in the sixth were the first allowed by the Tar Heels in 2005, snapping a school-record string of 32 scoreless innings to open a season. Carolina has yet to allow an earned run on the year in 36 innings pitched.

With the score tied at two, the Tar Heels rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win and their third straight series sweep of Seton Hall. After junior Mike Daniel singled to left to start the rally, Younts tripled down the right field line to drive in Daniel and give Carolina a 3-2 lead. Following a walk to UNC shortstop Josh Horton, Seton Hall third baseman Mark Pappas booted a grounder off the bat of Tar Heel center fielder Blair Waggett, which allowed Younts to score. Horton later scored on a passed ball for the 5-2 final margin.

Redshirt sophomore closer Matt Danford closed out the win with a perfect ninth, including two strikeouts, for his first career save. Junior Jonathan Hovis (1-0) picked up the win in relief with 2.2 scoreless innings, and sophomore Robert Woodard made the start for Carolina and fanned seven over 5.1 innings. He gave up two unearned runs, but the North Carolina pitching staff still sports a 0.00 earned run average on the season.

Just like the rest of the Tar Heel hurlers in this first week of the season, Woodard kept the Pirates off the scoreboard for the first five innings of the game, but a pair of errors gave SHU its first lead of the series with two runs in sixth.

Pappas reached on a two-base throwing error by UNC shortstop Craig Corrado and took third on a balk. Seton Hall then scored on a squeeze play, as center fielder Patrick Sullivan bunted back toward the mound, allowing Pappas to score from third. Woodard was then lifted in favor Hovis, who appeared to have induced an inning-ending double-play ball off the bat of designated hitter John Walsh, but Corrado's throw to first was high, allowing Walsh to take second and first baseman Tim Pahuta to score the second run of the frame.

Trailing for the first time on the young season, the Tar Heels quickly got on the board in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff homer to left by third baseman Justin Webb to trim the lead to 2-1. Sophomore Jay Cox later scored from third on a passed ball to knot the score at two. He walked following Webb's home run, took second on a fly out by pinch hitter Matt Ellington and moved over to third on a grounder to first by Younts, who was pinch hitting for right fielder Seth Williams.

No Tar Heel had more than one hit on the afternoon, but Cox has hit safely in all four games this season and sports .462 average. Younts is 4-for-8 with a triple and a homer on the year, and Webb is batting .417 with three RBI.

Seton Hall second baseman Anthony Seratelli was 2-for-4 at the plate to lead the Pirates. Starter Dan Merklinger allowed just two hits over five shutout innings. Dan McDonald (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs (one earned) over the last final 2.2 innings.

Sunday's win gave the Tar Heels their sixth sweep of Seton Hall in the last seven years. UNC now leads the all-time series 42-10.

Carolina returns to action Tuesday against UNC Wilmington at 3 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.