Hot hitting carries UNC to first series sweep of Georgia Tech in 22 years

On Saturday night, the North Carolina baseball team accomplished something it hadn’t done in 10 years.

Dallas Tessar's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning gave the No. 15 Tar Heels their first home series win against Georgia Tech since 2008.

And on Sunday, the Tar Heels (27-13, 15-6 ACC) continued to make history in their 10-3 win, defeating the Yellow Jackets (22-19, 9-12 ACC) for a third consecutive time. In doing so, UNC captured its first series sweep against the Yellow Jackets in 22 years.

"Its not impossible, but its improbable that you're going to do that in this league against a really good team," head coach Mike Fox said. "We just gotta give a lot of credit to our kids. The win last night and we carried it over today. It was important."

Even more so, the Tar Heels capitalized on a series they needed to win, sweeping their conference foe before embarking on a 15-game stretch that includes eight games against ranked opponents.

It was strong hitting that set the pace for the Tar Heels in clinching their fourth consecutive series win. After scoring nine runs apiece in the first two games, the bats heated up early again in the series finale. 

Just like the previous two contests, UNC scored in the second inning — this time twice. Designated hitter Jackson Hesterlee, who earned the start in place of Ashton McGee after blasting a pinch hit grand slam in Saturday’s win, set the table with a one-out walk. Hesterlee finished 2-2 on the day and walked twice, showing Fox he deserved the start.

After advancing to second on a wild pitch, right fielder Cody Roberts hit a laser past the diving Yellow Jacket third baseman into left field, scoring the first run of the day. Later, Roberts scored on a two-out single off the bat of second baseman Zack Gahagan to make it 2-0.

In the third, first baseman Michael Busch waited on a pitch and pounced, blasting a solo home run into the trees in right field. The solo shot gave Busch his tenth long ball of the year and his 46th RBI of the season in just 40 games of play.

"I haven't been swinging with those inside pitches the greatest lately," Busch said with a grin. "It was down in the zone and I particularly liked those. Thought I hit it too high."

With solid run support behind him, Cooper Criswell thrived in just his second start of the season. He credited his first start against Miami in which he struck out 13 batters in helping him prepare for the start on Sunday.

"I threw I think my most innings I've thrown all year down there," Criswell said. "Helped me get in a rhythm and set up for today good."

It was Criswell’s ability to attack hitters that served him well in the start, striking out five hitters in a career high seven innings of work. The junior college transfer’s ability to go far into the ball game helped a depleted staff that sent a total of 10 pitchers to the mound in the first two games. 

When asked if there was a very good chance for Criswell to start next weekend, Fox simply said, "Yes."

The Tar Heels put the icing on the cake in the seventh inning, scoring seven runs to slam the door shut on the convincing 10-3 win. Gahagan provided the big bat with a two-run home run that hit the left field foul pole. The inning punctuated a weekend of hot hitting; UNC scored 28 runs in the three-game sweep.

With a visit to Raleigh next weekend against No. 4 N.C. State, it was imperative that the Tar Heels fared well against the Yellow Jackets. 

After battling against the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels will head to Durham to face No. 9 Duke in a series that could very well decide the ACC Coastal division.

But for now, the Tar Heels can relax, having vanquished the Yellow Jackets in three straight tries — accomplishing a feat that had not been done in decades.

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