The No. 24 North Carolina baseball team (8-1, 0-0 ACC) completed its midweek sweep by defeating Winthrop (2-6, 0-0 Big South), 7-3, at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday evening.
What happened?
The Diamond Heels scored in the first inning when junior Danny Serretti’s double to left field allowed sophomore Tomas Frick to score. The Eagles responded with a run of their own in the second inning from Joseph Szvetitz.
North Carolina recorded five hits in the second inning, including a homer to center from sophomore Alberto Osuna that allowed sophomore Johnny Castagnozzi to score. First-year Vance Honeycutt reached base and stole second base shortly after, and RBIs from redshirt junior Angel Zarate and Frick put UNC up 5-1 heading into the third inning.
A North Carolina double play quickly put the Diamond Heels at bat again. Castagnozzi hit a homer to left field, extending the lead to five runs. A Honeycutt triple to the right side in the fourth inning made for an easy Zarate RBI.
The Eagles’ second run of the game came from a homer by Robby Taul. However, three consecutive groundouts limited Winthrop to just one run in the fifth inning. Neither team scored until the seventh inning, when Winthrop’s Ty Hooks hit a single up the middle for an RBI to cut the lead to four runs. UNC’s scoring drought persisted through the eighth inning, and Winthrop had one last chance to make a comeback.
With the Eagles at bat at the top of the ninth inning, C.J. Conrad narrowly escaped to second base on a double to right field. Shortly after, however, left-handed senior pitcher Caden O’Brien struck out Dillon Morton to seal the victory for North Carolina.
Who stood out?
For the first four innings, Zarate, Osuna, Castagnozzi and Frick were among several Diamond Heels who shined in the batter’s box. Osuna and Castagnozzi displayed their power with each player hitting a home run.