In dominating fashion, the North Carolina baseball team (26-15), beat the UNCW Seahawks (24-15), 18-2, Tuesday evening at Boshamer Stadium.
What happened?
Dalton Pence started on the mound for the Diamond Heels and UNCW took advantage of Pence’s curveball, scoring one run on three hits in the first inning.
The Tar Heels responded fervently in the first frame as Jackson Van De Brake hit an RBI double to drive in sophomore Vance Honeycutt and even up the score. The Tar Heels pushed the score even higher with junior Mac Horvath smashing a three-run homer off the left field wall followed by Alberto Osuna launching a 407 foot moonshot that touched the batter's eye.
In his very next at bat, Horvath went yard yet again adding an additional three runs. The Minnesota slugger went yard–424 feet to be exact–to left center scoring Van De Brake and Casey Cook.
Max Carlson had his first UNC relief appearance– Pence was under a pitch count– as the righty took over at the mound after the second inning.
In the fourth frame both the Tar Heels and the Seahawks notched a single run, UNC’s on a sacrifice fly by Colby Wilkerson and UNCW’s on a solo shot by Alec DeMartino to left field.
The UNC offensive crusade hit its peak in the fourth frame, as Cook and Horvath drew walks, and Tomas Frick got hit by a pitch to load the bases. All three of the Tar Heels were batted in on singles from Hunter Stokely and Alberto Osuna. The inning didn’t stop there as Stokely scored on a wild pitch and Van De Brake doubled to drive in Osuna and Honeycutt. Exiting the fourth inning the Tar Heels comfortably sat on a 15-2 lead over the visiting Seahawks.
Carlson was relieved by Ben Peterson, in his first trip to the mound since the final game of the Georgia Tech series in early April.
