Offense Powers UNC Baseball to Weekend Wagner Sweep

The Diamond Heels scored a combined 36 runs in wins against Wagner on Saturday and Sunday at Boshamer Stadium, powering Carolina to a sweep of the Seahawks and a 3-0 start to the 2024 season.

Saturday’s game saw UNC score five runs in the bottom of the second to build a sizable lead, but Wagner fought back with three runs in the third and two in the fourth to tie the game.

Carolina answered in a big way, scoring five more runs in the sixth on a Parks Harber RBI triple, Anthony Donofrio RBI single and a three-run home run from Alberto Osuna. Vance Honeycutt clubbed his second homer of the year in the seventh and scored on a three-run Casey Cook blast in the eighth. Cook accounted for four of Carolina’s 17 hits on the day and drove in a team-high four runs. On the mound, Dalton Pence earned his first win of the year with 3.2 innings of one-hit relief. He struck out five Seahawks in the 16-5 win.

UNC was back at it on Sunday, and once again the second inning loomed large. Carolina scored a whopping 10 runs in the inning, starting with a solo shot from Osuna. The Diamond Heels would bat around, and Osuna picked up his second and third RBIs of the frame on a single in his next at-bat. He added yet another RBI in the third on a sacrifice fly, one of four runs Carolina would score in that inning.

The hit parade continued throughout the game, as Carolina scored in the fourth (one run), fifth (two), sixth (four) and eighth (one). Eleven of the 18 Tar Heel batters recorded at least one RBI. Osuna led the way with four, while Cook and Alex Madera each added three and Gavin Gallaher clubbed his first career home run in the 20-6 victory.

Carolina engaged in thievery on the basepaths all day, tying a school record with 10 stolen bases. Honeycutt recorded two in the first inning alone and now has 51 in his collegiate career.

The Diamond Heels will take the field in Boshamer Stadium again on Tuesday afternoon against Elon at 4 p.m. After that, Carolina will play a three-game series with in-state rival East Carolina. Friday’s opener will be played at Boshamer, Saturday’s middle game in Fayetteville and the finale on Sunday on the ECU campus in Greenville.

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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Offense Powers UNC Baseball to Weekend Wagner Sweep

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