Diamond Heels pick up a midweek victory with 10-0 win over Longwood

The North Carolina baseball team blanked the Longwood Lancers, 10-0, in a Wednesday matchup at Boshamer Stadium.

What happened? 

Junior transfer right-handed pitcher Jake Knapp earned his first start of the season on the mound for North Carolina. In the first inning, Knapp opened the game with a strikeout looking and ended the inning in four at-bats after giving up a two-out walk. 

In the bottom of the third inning, notes of UNC’s stellar offense began to appear after a silent two innings. Sophomore center fielder Vance Honeycutt squibbed an offspeed pitch to third, resulting in an infield hit and enabling him to steal his sixth base of the year. Shortly after, freshman right fielder Casey Cook launched a home run to right field putting the Heels up 2-0. 

The Diamond Heels’ defense remained consistent throughout the fourth with Knapp only allowing one hit while North Carolina’s offense went dormant in the bottom half of the inning. The Tar Heels picked up some much-needed momentum after Reece Holbrook singled up the middle, driving in two and extending the lead to four for UNC in the bottom of the fifth. 

Junior third baseman Mac Horvath lived up to his .643 slugging percentage with a 396 ft two-run shot to open the bottom of the sixth. Casey Cook continued his monster night with a hustle double to record his second extra-base hit. Longwood went to the pen to extinguish the no-out ambush but was unable to contain Frick on an RBI double down the first base line. A wild pitch continued the UNC rally with Frick crossing home plate. The four-run inning propelled North Carolina to a commanding 8-0 advantage. 

Longwood found life in the top of the seventh after graduate transfer right-hander Kevin Eaise walked his first batter faced. Coming back with a pair of strikeouts and a pop fly to right field, Eaise navigated through a second and third jam to keep the Lancers off the board. 

The pitching staff continued its shut-down outing, striking out the side in the top of the eighth. 

At the bottom of the eighth, Mac Horvath wasn’t done yet. A laser over the left field wall drove in his third run of the night and enlarged the Tar Heels’ lead to 9. An extra run capped North Carolina’s scoring, ending the contest 10-0. 

Who stood out? 

Horvath had an outstanding offensive performance with two home runs bringing in three total runs for the Heels. Casey Cook also exploded offensively with a home run and a double to center field.

In his first outing of the season, Knapp delivered a considerable quality start pitching five innings and allowing no runs and only two hits. He also added six strikeouts and two walks.

When was it decided?

With pitching performances from Knapp and senior right-handed pitcher Eaise, the Diamond Heels were able to keep the Lancers off the scoreboard. After the home run from Cook in the bottom of the third and Horvath’s contributed two home runs, UNC continued to steadily pile on runs, and Longwood was unable to respond.

Why does it matter?

After dropping its season opener to Seton Hall, UNC. has rebounded with three straight victories while limiting opponents to under three or fewer runs per game. Coming off of an explosive offensive performance versus Radford, including a .333 team average and 14 runs scored, North Carolina looks to continue their winning streak in their first road game against No. 11 East Carolina. 

When do they play next?

The Diamond Heels take on No. 11 East Carolina on Friday, Feb. 24 in Greenville, N.C. The first pitch is at 5 p.m. and will begin their three-game weekend series against the Pirates. 

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com