Following a disappointing series the previous weekend against Notre Dame, the North Carolina baseball team put together what may have very well been its best performance of the season in a 7-2 win against UNC-Wilmington.
The Tar Heels jumped out to an early lead when, in the bottom of the second, Logan Warmoth brought in Joe Dudek on a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Landon Lassiter hit an RBI-single to left field, scoring Alex Raburn and giving the Tar Heels a quick 2-0 lead.
On the mound, sophomore A.J. Bogucki shined in what was just his third start of the season. Through three innings, the Gilbertsville, Pa. native struck out six batters, the majority of whom were baffled by Bogucki's slider. Bogucki would go five innings on the night, striking out eight in the process.
The sophomore would eventually run into trouble in the fourth when a fly ball from UNC-Wilmington's Joe Bertone carried just past the wall in right field, tying the game at two.
But in the bottom of the fifth, junior center-fielder Skye Bolt hit a deep home-run to right center, breaking the tie and giving the Tar Heels a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
The bullpen tandem of Zach Rice and Trevor Kelley would combine to pitch four innings, only allowing three Seahawk hits over that span, and sealing the victory for the Tar Heels. UNC would add insurance runs in both the seventh and eighth innings, although Kelley and Rice had effectively shut down the UNC-Wilmington offense, barring any chance of a comeback.
North Carolina will begin its final series of the season when it faces off against rival Virginia Thursday night. The Tar Heels will be looking to win the series, in hopes that they will avoid the dreaded play-in game in the ACC Tournament next week.
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