Tar Heels Outlast Tigers, 2-0

June 18, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -Robert Woodard threw a three-hitter to help North Carolina beat top-seeded Clemson 2-0 in the College World Series on Sunday night.

Clemson (53-15), which had come from behind to win its previous four games, was shut out for the first time since a 10-0 loss to East Carolina in February 2005. That’s a span of 131 games.

Reid Fronk and Josh Horton had consecutive doubles in the third inning to provide the only offense that the Tar Heels would need.

North Carolina (52-13) won its first two games at the CWS for the first time in five visits to Omaha and now is in command of Bracket 1. The Tar Heels play Wednesday against the winner of a Tuesday elimination game between Clemson and Cal State Fullerton. One win sends North Carolina to the best-of-three championship series beginning Saturday.

Woodard (7-1) threw his second shutout in five starts and the first at the CWS since Fullerton’s Jason Windsor blanked South Carolina on June 19, 2004.

The junior right-hander retired the last seven Clemson batters. Woodard opened the ninth striking out Tyler Colvin, who saw his 26-game hitting streak end when he looked at strike three. Taylor Harbin struck out for the second out.

Then Andy D’Alessio, whose three-run homer sparked an eight-run eighth-inning rally in Friday’s win over Georgia Tech, grounded out to second to bring the Tar Heels out of their dugout in celebration.

Even Tar Heels basketball coach Roy Williams got into the act, slapping backs, shaking hands and posing for pictures with players in front of the dugout.

North Carolina’s one burst of sustained offense produced the only runs against an otherwise effective Stephen Faris (9-3), who scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out five in eight innings.

Mike Cavasinni singled leading off the third, then Fronk and Horton hit back-to-back doubles to make it 2-0.

The Tar Heels managed just one more hit.

The Tigers had runners in scoring position on three occasions, but Woodard shut them down each time. He struck out seven and walked three.

The Tigers’ three hits matched their season low, set in a win over Elon in March.

Clemson had won each of its previous four games after trailing at some point after the sixth inning.

But there would be no comeback this night against a Carolina team that is now 41-2 when leading after the sixth.

It was the first meeting of the season between the Atlantic Coast Conference rivals because of a new scheduling format adopted when the league expanded to 12 teams.