The UNC baseball team (32-19, 13-15 ACC) won the first game of its series against No. 20 Florida State (32-20, 15-13 ACC), 7-5, on Thursday night at Boshamer Stadium.
What happened?
After a three-up, three-down frame for the Seminoles to begin the game, UNC caught fire early in the bottom of the first. After redshirt junior right fielder Angel Zarate singled to left center in the leadoff spot, he was soon brought home by junior shortstop Danny Serretti’s double to left field. UNC tacked on three more runs thanks to a bomb from sophomore designated hitter Alberto Osuna, which scored Serretti and first-year center fielder Vance Honeycutt, who reached base after being hit by a pitch. The Diamond Heels were quickly up 4-0 as they exited the first inning.
After two scoreless innings for both teams, the Seminoles answered with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth inning. After first-year outfielder Jaime Ferrer doubled to right field, he was soon scored thanks to a single from fellow first-year outfielder James Tibbs and an error by Honeycutt in center. In the same inning, redshirt senior third baseman Logan Lacey homered to left field, bringing the score to 4-2.
Still, the Seminoles weren’t done. Florida State tacked on another run in the top of the sixth inning, as Ferrer went yard to left center. In the eighth inning, the Seminoles added two more runs thanks to a bomb from Tibbs, scoring him and Ferrer to bring the score to 5-4.
In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Osuna delivered another critical home run for the Tar Heels. After Serretti singled to left field, and sophomore infielder Johnny Castagnozzi drew a walk, Osuna’s bomb to left center brought UNC three runs and the 7-5 walk-off win.
Who stood out?
Osuna made an immediate impact on the game with his three-run homer in the bottom of the first. The slugger helped bring UNC out to a 4-0 lead, which was critical to the momentum of Thursday’s game. The sophomore also ultimately called the game with his three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth, earning UNC the series-opening win.
Although Florida State ultimately dropped the game, Ferrer proved to also be a standout of Thursday evening, leading the Seminoles with three hits and three runs in four at-bats.
