UNC keeps on winning on the diamond

North Carolina (36-7) keeps on winning, this time beating High Point (16-24) by a score of 10-5 at home. The Heels are now on an 11 game winning streak, the longest since 2002. Right now UNC is the second best team in the country, behind only Miami (also in the ACC). Florida State has the number three position, meaning that the top three teams are all in the ACC.

Carolina had four pitchers on the mound, with reliever Colin Bates getting his fourth win (against no losses). Bates went 2.1 innings, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks and striking out 2. Starter Mike Facchinei pitched for 4.2 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. On a brighter note, Facchinei did strike out 4 in his outing. Two more pitchers took the mound for an inning apiece, giving up an unearned run on no hits, 1 walk and 2 K's.

Both Tim Federowicz, Chad Flack and Kyle Seager went 2 for 3 on the day, with Federowicz getting 3 RBIs and scoring twice, while Flack scoring three times and Seager drove in a run and scored twice. Four other Tar Heels had one hit in the game. To be noted, frosh Brett Thomas made his first start for the Heels and had an RBI single.

It was a close game for the first six innings. The Heels went ahead 1 nothing in the bottom of the second, with High Point coming right back to score one as well in the top of the third. UNC would then score 4 in the bottom of the fourth, but the Panthers would not let go and scored 3 in the top of the fifth to make it into a 5 to 4 game for Carolina. The Heels would then score 2 more in the bottom of the fifth, and in the seventh they would score 3 more, making the score 10 to 4. High Point would get a last run in the top of the 9^th, and the final score would be 10-5.

North Carolina now has the big showdown with third ranked FSU at Cary's USA Baseball National Training Complex. The Heels and `Noles will play at 7 p.m. EST Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. UNC is 16-4 in the ACC Coastal Division, second only to Miami (17-2). FSU is leading the ACC Atlantic Division with an 18-3 record. This series means a lot for both of these teams, for UNC it would solidify their 2^nd place rank in the national polls, for FSU it would give them a chance to surpass the Heels in the polls and maybe challenge Miami for the right to be called the best team in the country.