May 19, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Robert Woodard pitched 6 2/3 strong innings and No. 15 North Carolina (39-14-1, 16-9-1 ACC) survived a late rally by No. 6 Georgia Tech (37-15, 21-7) as the Tar Heels topped the Yellow Jackets, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series on Thursday night at Boshamer Stadium.
Despite the loss, Georgia Tech’s magic number to clinch at least a share of the ACC regular season title and the top seed in next week’s ACC Tournament was reduced to one with Miami’s 15-5 loss at Clemson on Thursday.
Woodard (7-0) held the ACC’s top scoring offense to one run on eight hits in 6.2 innings. He issued one walk and struck out five before being removed after a lengthy rain delay.
Jonathan Hovis earned his fifth save of the season by working the final 2.1 innings and allowing three runs.
Flack reached base in all five of his plate appearances with a single, home run and three walks. Greg Mangum and Matt Ellington added two hits each.
Georgia Tech, which outhit North Carolina, 13-9, was led by two hits each from Danny Payne, Tyler Greene, Wes Hodges, Mike Trapani and Jeff Kindel.
The Yellow Jackets struck for six hits in the first three innings but managed just a 1-0 lead. Kindel singled and scored in the second inning on a RBI groundout from Whit Robbins.
The Tar Heels tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out RBI double from Ellington.
A two-run homer from Flack, his team-leading 14th of the year, gave North Carolina a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning. The Tar Heels extended the lead to 4-1 in the sixth when Flack singled with two-outs, stole second base and scored on a RBI double from Josh Horton.
Jay Cox hit a solo home run, his second of the year, to make the score 5-1 in the seventh inning. The Yellow Jackets pulled to within 5-2 in the eighth when Greene doubled and scored on a RBI single from Kindel.
Georgia Tech mounted a final rally in the ninth inning, scoring two runs to pull within 5-4. Andy Hawranick singled and Robbins doubled before Trapani drove in two runs with a double. With the tying run in scoring position an no outs, Hovis worked out of the jam by getting two groundouts and a strikeout to end the game.
Tech starter Lee Hyde (7-3) took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in four-plus innings. Tech pitchers Hyde, Jordan Crews and Brad Rulon issued seven walks and hit two batters.
There were three weather delays in the game – an 18 minute delay in the second inning, a seven minute delay in the seventh inning and a 79 minute delay in the seventh inning.
Georgia Tech and North Carolina will continue the three-game series on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
