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TEAM NOTES
North Carolina¹s 6-2 loss was its third straight to Oregon State in CWS
Finals play. The Tar Heels are 8-4 in the College World Series over the last
two seasons, with three losses coming to the Beavers. Carolina is 10-12 in
six all-time CWS appearances.
Ninth-year head coach Mike Fox is now 29-17 in eight NCAA Tournament
appearances. The Tar Heels are 65-49 in 114 all-time postseason games.
UNC is 1-2 this season in three-game series in which it lost the first
game. The Tar Heels rallied to take the series at NC State and lost series
to top-10 opponents Florida State and Virginia after dropping the opening
contest.
Carolina had committed just two errors in its five previous CWS games
before the two miscues in the seventh inning Saturday. The Tar Heels issued
four walks and had a pair of throwing errors to lead to Oregon State¹s
four-run seventh inning.
With Saturday¹s loss, the Tar Heels will be forced to play two straight
elimination games to claim their first-ever national title. Carolina is 4-0
in elimination games in the 2007 NCAA Tournament with three wins coming in
Omaha after last week¹s 14-4 loss to Rice.
The Tar Heels had the leadoff man on four times in the first six innings,
including a runner at second with no one out in the first and fourth, but
could not manage a run in these frames. UNC was 0-for-6 with runners in
scoring position before Reid Fronk¹s two-run double in the fifth. UNC
finished 1-for-10 on the night with runners in scoring position with a walk
and a sacrifice fly.
Carolina turned a season-high five double plays Saturday and also matched
the CWS record in the process. The five double plays set a CWS Finals
record.
PLAYER NOTES
Left fielder Reid Fronk went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI for his
fifth multi-hit game in the NCAA Tournament and second in Omaha. He tied CWS
Finals records for doubles in a game, extra-base hits in a game and doubles
in a series Saturday.
With his 292nd at-bat in the eighth inning Saturday, first baseman Dustin
Ackley matched Carolina¹s single-season at-bat record. He singled in the
second to extend his school-record hit total to 117.
Center fielder Seth Williams was 2-for-3 to match his hit total in the
previous five CWS games. He has hit safely in 19 of his last 22 NCAA
Tournament games.
Benji Johnson hit his second pinch-hit home run of the season in the
eighth Saturday. He also hit a pinch-hit homer versus Davidson March 28.
Johnson¹s solo shot was seventh of the season.
With a sixth-inning single, shortstop Josh Horton extended his hitting
streak to a team-best seven games. He has hit safely in 11 of 12 NCAA
Tournament games. Horton also struck out three times for the first time in
198 career games Saturday.
Bryan Steed had a pinch hit single in the ninth and is 2-for-2 in the CWS.
Kyle Shelton also had a pinch-hit single to improve to 7-for-18 off the
bench on the season.
Starter Alex White went 5 1/3 innings for his longest start in the NCAA
Tournament. He allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking
out two. His previous long outing was five innings against East Carolina
June 2.
Jordan Lennerton¹s second-inning home run was just the fifth allowed by
UNC starter Alex White in 98 1/3 innings this season.
Senior right-hander Matt Danford made his 114th career appearance Saturday
to move within one of Whitley Benson (2001-04) for third on the Tar Heels¹
career list.
