North Carolina hamers Maryland

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Posted 5:27AM on Friday, May 28, 2004

SALEM, VIRGINIA - Garry Bakker was in a groove from the start. Once he got some run support, shutting down Maryland became that much easier. ``It was easy to pitch today having our offense score four and five runs an inning,'' Bakker said after hurling a five-hitter as North Carolina beat Maryland 14-0 in an elimination game of the ACC tournament. ``After that, I tried to keep throwing strikes and get us back in the dugout,'' said Bakker (5-5). The right-hander struck out eight and walked none in his first shutout since March 30, 2002, against Virginia. With Bakker pitching, the Tar Heels felt good, too. ``It all starts on the mound,'' Tar Heels coach Mike Fox said. ``Garry was outstanding for us, really just what the doctor ordered. ``He's pitched for us for three years in some big games, so we really thought that's the guy we want out there,'' Fox said. Chris Iannetta and Chase Younts made it easy, too. Iannetta homered and drove in four runs and Younts had five consecutive singles and scored three times. Greg Mangum added three hits and also scored three. One day after the tournament featured four one-run games for the first time, the Tar Heels (39-18) led 6-0 after six innings and piled on. ``Just one of those days, I guess,'' Younts said. Maryland also helped with five errors. ``We made a lot of mistakes out there and it took us out of the ball game,'' Terps coach Terry Rupp said. The Tar Heels will play the winner of the second losers' bracket game between Virginia and North Carolina State in an elimination game Friday. Iannetta hit a sacrifice fly in the third, his 13th home run with a man on in the sixth and doubled home another run in the seventh. Younts had five straight hits one day after a collision knocked him out on the first play of a first-round game and got him three stitches. Ben Pfinsgraff (4-5) took the loss. He allowed eight hits and eight runs, six of them earned, in 5 2/3 innings.