A go-ahead solo home run from Vance Honeycutt in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Diamond Heels a 2-1 lead over No. 11 East Carolina they would not relinquish, as Carolina took the opening game of a three-game series with the Pirates. It’s also the 3,000th win in program history.

Honeycutt’s blast was the loudest hit of a quiet night at the plate for both sides. ECU and UNC combined for just 13 hits, and the Tar Heels struck out 13 times. Pirates starting pitcher Trey Yesavage and Carolina’s Folger Boaz each put together strong starts, with Boaz allowing just one run through 4.2 innings and Yesavage striking out 11 batters in six innings.

Yesavage’s only blemish came in the second inning, when doubles by Luke Stevenson and Alex Madera brought in the first Tar Heel run. ECU tied the game in the top of the fifth, using back-to-back singles and a double to score the Pirates’ only run of the night.

After that, both bullpens shined. Neither ECU nor Carolina moved a runner past second base from the bottom of the fifth until Honeycutt stepped to the plate in the eighth. His solo shot shook him out of what had been a rough day at the plate, as the star center fielder had gone 0-3 with two strikeouts. Honeycutt now has half of Carolina’s eight home runs this season.

Matt Poston shut the door on the Pirates with a scoreless ninth, securing a 5-0 start for the Tar Heels for the third time in four seasons under head coach Scott Forbes. Saturday’s second game of the series with ECU will be played in Fayetteville, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball Dominates in 3-Game Road Sweep at Cal
The Diamond Heels played dominant baseball in a three-game road sweep of Cal in Berkeley during the weekend. UNC never trailed in any of the three games. Friday’s opening game saw Carolina ace Jason DeCaro silence the Bear bats in the early innings. Freshman Tyler Howe provided the game’s first offense with an RBI single […]
UNC Baseball Beats Bucknell in Chapel Hill; 8th Run-Rule Win This Season
The Diamond Heels scored eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on their way to a 13-3 win against visiting Bucknell at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday. Carolina won the game in seven innings via the 10-run rule, marking the teams eighth win by way of the run rule already this season. 𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐮𝐛 […]
UNC Baseball Drops ACC Opener vs. Virginia in Blowout Fashion
The Diamond Heels were on the wrong end of the 10-run rule Friday, as visiting Virginia dominated UNC 13-3 in a game ended after seven innings. The Cavalier bats jumped all over UNC starting pitcher Jason DeCaro, bashing six hits and scoring five runs in just three innings. Only two of those Virginia runs were […]
UNC Baseball Beats Elon at Boshamer Stadium; ACC Play Next
It took all nine innings this time, but the Diamond Heels were still able to comfortably beat Elon 5-1 at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday afternoon. Light work of the fire birds 🔥#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/HVWEAqyNhK — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) March 3, 2026 Carolina’s offense was nowhere near its historic level showcased in its weekend sweep of […]
UNC Baseball Rides Hot Bats to Home Sweep vs. Le Moyne
The Diamond Heels scored a combined 49 runs across a three-game sweep of Le Moyne at Boshamer Stadium during the weekend. All three games were ended early via the 10-run rule. Friday’s opening game saw Carolina score five runs in the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk and a bases clearing […]
UNC Baseball Wins Midweek Matchups vs. North Carolina A&T, VCU
The Diamond Heels had no trouble in a pair of midweek games against North Carolina A&T and VCU. Carolina outscored the opposition 22-4 on its way to wins in both matchups at Boshamer Stadium. Tuesday against the Aggies, George Mason transfer Owen Hull had the best game of his young UNC career with three hits […]
UNC Baseball Drops Second Game of East Carolina Series; Final Game Declared a Tie
The Diamond Heels fell in the second game of this weekend’s three-game series against East Carolina and ended Sunday’s rubber match after five innings due to weather conditions. As the score was tied 3-3 at the time of the stoppage, the game will officially go down as a tie. Saturday’s game at Durham Bulls Athletic […]
DeCaro Dazzles as UNC Baseball Beats East Carolina in Series Opener
Jason DeCaro threw a complete-game shutout and the UNC lineup banged out 12 hits as the Diamond Heels rolled past East Carolina 10-0 in Greenville Friday night. The game was ended after eight innings via the run rule. Sprinkled in a 𝘿𝙐𝘽 💪#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/1a6yCgvcLv — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 21, 2026 Carolina provided […]
Chansky's Notebook: An Early Test
One of the most unique series on the college baseball calendar gets underway tonight as UNC and ECU open their three-ballpark series.
UNC Baseball Wins Midweek Games vs. Richmond, Longwood
The Diamond Heels hosted games against Richmond and Longwood at Boshamer Stadium this week and won both to move to 5-0 this season.
›