CHAPEL HILL- The No. 1 North Carolina baseball team defeated Clemson Saturday 10-3 in the first of its three-game series at Boshamer Stadium.

Junior pitcher Kent Emanuel led the Tar Heels with nine hits in eight innings. Junior catcherMatt Roberts hit his first home run of his career.

Senior first baseman Cody Stubbs added to the win with four hits.

North Carolina took the lead early with four straight runs in the first inning, credited mainly to Stubbs, freshman outfielder Skye Bolt, and sophomore outfielder Michael Russell who each charted run-scoring singles.

The Tar Heels gained four more runs in the bottom of the third to give them a solid lead. North Carolina scored one run each in the eighth and ninth inning to total 10 runs.

Throughout the game North Carolina recorded a season-high of 19 hits.

With the win North Carolina improved to 24-1 overall, and 8-1 in the ACC. The starting record is the best in Tar Heel history over 25 games.

Clemson fell to 16-10, 5-5 in the ACC. The Tigers are second in the conference Atlantic Division behind Florida State. The Tar Heels lead the Coastal Division.

The second game of the series is Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.