After struggling to establish a rhythm at bat on Friday, No. 7 North Carolina buried No. 25 Georgia Tech on Friday with eight runs.
The Tar Heels (19-3) struck early with an RBI-single by sophomore shortstop Logan Warmoth that set up junior outfielder Adam Pate to score. In that same inning, senior second baseman Eli Sutherland whacked a two-RBI single to centerfield to extend UNC’s lead to three.
In the second inning, it looked like North Carolina might lose that lead when Georgia Tech (17-5) managed three straight hits to load the bases with zero outs. But Brian Miller stepped up for North Carolina, snagging Georgia Tech’s next liner before ousting the runner at first base for a double play. On the next at bat, centerfielder Tyler Ramirez caught a fly ball to end the inning, allowing North Carolina to evade a sticky situation.
Ramirez followed the close call with an explosion at bat. The first hitter of the third inning for the Tar Heels, Ramirez drove the ball over the right wall for a home run, his fifth of the year and UNC’s first in the series. Ramirez went on to also score UNC’s fifth run in the bottom of the fifth inning after reaching second base off an error by Georgia Tech’s outfield and coming home on a sacrifice groundout by junior outfielder Tyler Lynn.
Meanwhile, sophomore pitcher J.B. Bukauskas stifled any chance the Yellow Jackets had to respond, spearheading a UNC defensive effort that held Georgia Tech hitless for five consecutive innings.
The Tar Heels continued to sting the Yellow Jackets in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded with one out, Sutherland drove the ball to left center for a two-RBI single. Freshman catcher Cody Roberts added a sacrifice groundout to the mix to give UNC an eight-run lead.
Behind the successful offense and crippling defense, the Tar Heels effectively shut down Georgia Tech on both ends to walk away with the victory.
Quotable
“That’s about as dominant of a performance as I think I’ve seen here against a really, really good offensive team.” — Coach Mike Fox on Bukauskas’ performance.
