Baseball 4/15/2008 8:00:00 PM UNCGSpartans.com

Seventeen hits pull No. 4 Tar Heels away from UNCG, 14-3

Box Score

GREENSBORO, NC UNC Greensboro dropped its sixth contest to an ACC team this season as they suffered a 14-3 loss to No. 4 North Carolina, Tuesday night at UNCG Baseball Stadium in Greensboro, NC.

Carolina came within three to tie their season high 20 hits as they held the Spartans to just five on the evening. Eight of the total 17 were extra base hits. The Heels tallied two home runs including a two-run shot by Tim Fedroff during a five-run rally in the fourth. In the eighth inning, Fedroff dribbled a single towards second base to complete a triple-double-home run-single cycle North Carolina's first of record in the past five years.

The defeat put a halt to the three-game win streak the Spartans began with a sweep over Wofford this past weekend. They are now 22-13 overall with an 8-4 conference mark. The Tar Heels improve to 30-7 with an ACC record of 8-4.

North Carolina took a 3-0 lead in the opening inning with a two-run home run off the face of the scoreboard by Kyle Shelton and a sacrifice fly to score Tim Fedroff. The Tar Heels bumped themselves up by two more in the second off of a single and a double. With two down and the bases loaded, UNC had the chance to pull out even further, but a diving grab along the first base line by first baseman Ricky Orton put a halt to the drive and left three runners stranded.

In the home half of inning two, the Spartans chipped three away from the Carolina lead. Catcher Adam Deleo sparked the drive with a chopper up the middle to score second baseman Tim Carrier. Sacrifice flies in the next two at-bats brought around two more and put the score at 5-3.

The Tar Heels padded their lead with a five-run rally in the top half of the fourth. Carolina led the inning with back-to-back doubles to score one, before Tim Fedroff crushed a two-run shot over the right field wall. A throwing error and a triple gave Carolina the 10-3 lead.

After three scoreless innings, the Heels went on another run scoring four. Fedroff led things off with a single to complete UNC's first cycle in five years. He and Chad Flack were then plated by a Kyle Seager triple to right center. The final two runs of the game came in by way of a ground out and a wild pitch.

After holding the Spartans silent in the final two innings, Carolina took the 14-3 victory.

The Spartans were led by Adam Deleo who was 2-for-4 with an RBI. The Tar Heels' Tim Fedroff was 4-for-4 with four RBI and the cycle.

UNC's Patrick Johnson (4-1) nabbed the win after five innings on the mound with just one strikeout. UNCG's starting pitcher Alex Shelton (3-3) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs in his two innings at the rubber. Freshman reliever Warren Slack pitched a season-high 3.1 innings starting in the fifth and led the team with four strikeouts.

The Spartans hit the road this weekend as the travel to Charleston, SC to take on The Citadel Bulldogs. Game times are set for 6pm on Friday, 2pm on Saturday, and 1pm on Sunday.