Tar Heels looking for more big hits

OMAHA, Neb. — Veterans Tim Federowicz and Chad Flack have extended North Carolina's NCAA title hopes for two straight nights with clutch late-game home runs.

Tonight, in a College World Series elimination re-match against Fresno State, the Tar Heels will be trying to bat even better.

Despite the homers, UNC has left a combined 17 men on base the last two games, a nail-biting issue because of the high number of Tar Heel strikeouts has forced Carolina to come from behind (or break a tie) to advance.

"We're just concerned that we're not moving balls,'' Fox said Saturday night. "The other teams are making plays, but we can't move the ball if we can't make contact. We're going to work on that [Sunday]."

The important thing, thanks to those homers, is that they are still here today to try to work the kinks out.

"I'm dying a slow death here with these games,'' Fox said, laughing. "It's just the nature of baseball. It can methodically just kill you, or it can methodically just excite the heck out of you. I don't know how many years you coach before you ever kind of manage it. But our kids have been pretty sensational out here; I've got to tip my had to them. They've been clutch. We haven't hit like I'd like for us to, but we hit when we needed to."