UNC continued its perfect start to the season Saturday afternoon in Boshamer Stadium, clinching its series with No. 25 East Carolina with a 2-0 win.
It may have been the bats that stole the show in the Diamond Heels’ first five games of 2022, but the arms showed out in the sixth.
Sophomore Max Carlson got his second start of the season on the mound, and once again finished with no runs to his name. Carlson silenced the Pirates through 5.2 innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five. Carolina had its own struggles against ECU starter Jake Kuchmaner, but finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth with a Reece Holbrook walk, Vance Honeycutt single and Angel Zarate double to drive in both runners. It would be the only scoring play of the day.
Zarate also had a hand in keeping the Pirates off the board, gunning down ECU’s Cam Clonch at second base on a hit to right field which could potentially have driven in a run. It was the first outfield assist for any Carolina player this season.
Carlson was pulled in the sixth, and Shawn Rapp, Davis Palermo and Caden O’Brien continued to sit down Pirates batters in relief. Palermo and O’Brien combined for 2.2 perfect innings; no Pirate reached base in the eighth or ninth. O’Brien would slam the door with authority, striking out the side in the top of the ninth to earn the save for the second straight day.
The Tar Heels ended the day with only four hits, but two of them came off the bat of Honeycutt, once again hitting in the leadoff spot. The freshman from Salisbury, N.C. is batting .450 on the young season and has scored a run in all six games played after starting on Opening Day. He trails only Johnny Castagnozzi, who is currently hitting all of .500, in batting average this season.
Carolina will now leave Boshamer Stadium for the first time this season, traveling to Greenville to try for a sweep of the Pirates on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead
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