The North Carolina baseball team got its offense rolling and handily beat Elon 12-6 Wednesday evening at Latham Park to improve to 29-19 on the year.
With the loss, the Phoenix fell to 26-22 on the season as the Tar Heel bats came alive in a five-run first inning in which Joe Dudek recorded his fourth home run of the year.
On the mound, Taylore Cherry notched his first win of the season with 5.2 innings of solid work for Carolina.
Parks Jordan led the offensive surge by driving in three runs on three hits. Skye Bolt and Landon Lassiter did not start and Michael Russell did not travel due to violations of team rules.
Star reliever Reilly Hovis got the final out of the game for the Tar Heels, who now set their sights on Florida State. The fourth-ranked Seminoles visit Chapel Hill for a three-game set starting Friday night at 7 p.m. in Carolina’s final home series of 2014.
Pair Of Midweek Tests To Challenge Diamond Heels Baseball Team
The Tar Heels are hitting the home stretch. Only two ACC series remain for Head Coach Mike Fox’s squad.
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And with perennial powerhouse Florida State and Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston coming to town this weekend for a three-game set, Carolina will be hoping to get its game in order. A couple midweek confidence-boosting wins against the Phoenix and Camels would be just what the Tar Heels are looking for.
First up, will be a 6 p.m. first pitch in Chapel Hill with 21-15 Campbell. The bunch from Raleigh is coming off a series victory over Gardner Webb.
Carolina is likely to start freshman pitcher Zac Gallen. Gallen has suffered an up-and-down season thus far with a 4.78 ERA to his name.
UNC holds a 32-10 all-time record versus Campbell, including a 3-1 mark under Coach Fox. But the last time the two schools met, it was the Camels who claimed a 7-5 win in extra innings.
On Wednesday, the Tar Heels will make the short drive down I-40 to face the 26-21 Phoenix at 6:30 p.m. Elon is coming off a home series defeat at the hands of Davidson.
For this encounter, it’s likely Carolina will summon another young gun, Taylore Cherry, to the mound. Cherry boasts a solid 3.16 ERA on the year.
The Tar Heels have won seven in a row over the Phoenix, including a tight 5-4 escape in Chapel Hill back on April 16.
Banged up junior Michael Russell will be tossed back into the lineup. He’ll be one to keep an eye on. UNC’s offensive catalyst will need to be healthy and playing at a high level once again if the Tar Heels desire to stay in the postseason picture.
DBAP Duel Postponed, Tar Heels Host Phoenix Wednesday
The Duel at the DBAP between the North Carolina baseball team and N.C. State was postponed due to heavy rains Tuesday night.
The 10,000 fans who purchased tickets have been told to hold on to their tickets for a possible rescheduled makeup game at a date still to be determined.
Next up for the 21-15 Tar Heels is a Wednesday meeting with 23-13 Elon at 6 pm in Boshamer Stadium.
Carolina leads the all-time series 31-9 against Elon and rides a six-game winning streak over the Phoenix into the midweek contest.
No. 1 UNC Baseball Hands Elon 15-3 Defeat On Its Home Field
ELON – The No. 1 UNC baseballteam didn’t have to travel far to keep its road record clean as the Tar Heels took down the Elon Phoenix 15-3 Tuesday night.
Carolina has beaten Elon 30 times in the 39 meetings. With the help of a 3-5 night from freshman Skye Bolt who hit his sixth homerun of the season and batted in three runners, as well as a strong pitching core of senior Chris Munnelly followed by sophomore Chris McCue, the Tar Heels took the early lead and piled the runs on late for the victory.
With the win, UNC improved to 30-2; Elon fell to 20-14. The Tar Heels return to the Hill Wednesday to host the Liberty Flames. This game was not originally on the schedule and serves as a makeup game for the missed game three of the Boston College series.
After a weekend series against Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Elon will meet again next Wednesday following a Tuesday night contest between UNC and Coastal Carolina.
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