Powerful Bats Help UNC Baseball Sweep Princeton

The Diamond Heels reached the 10-run plateau in each of their three games with Princeton during the weekend, and Carolina rode that wave to a sweep of the Tigers. UNC has now won 14 consecutive games at Boshamer Stadium.

In the series opener on Friday, Carolina went down early after Princeton executed a steal of home in the top of the first. All the Diamond Heels did to answer was score 11 runs in the bottom of the inning, blowing the game open early. Alberto Osuna recorded multiple RBI hits in the inning, and a three-run home run from Vance Honeycutt added to the hit parade. Casey Cook added a sacrifice fly in the second inning for good measure. Cook finished 3-4, and Alex Madera did him one better by batting 4-5 in the leadoff spot. On the mound, Folger Boaz picked up his second win by going seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out nine.

The offense was back at it on Saturday, once again answering an early Princeton run. Carolina scored three in the bottom of the first on a home run from Anthony Donofrio, two in the second, three in the fifth and one each in the sixth, seventh and eighth. Freshman Luke Stevenson hit the first home run of his college career in the third, putting Carolina up 5-2. He added an RBI single in the sixth.

Donofrio and Parks Harber combined for six hits at the 4-5 spots in the Carolina batting order. UNC recorded 19 hits on the day to support four pitchers, including starter Shea Sprague. Sprague lasted four innings and struck out four before Dalton Pence earned his second with two innings of shutout relief.

Princeton scored first again in Sunday’s finale, but Carolina again responded in force. Honeycutt and Madera both scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first, and Stevenson blasted a three-run shot in the fourth to extend the lead. He was at it again in the fifth, reaching on an error that scored Harber. It was part of a three-run rally in the inning.

Carolina scored in every inning from the fourth through the seventh, with Donofrio, Osuna, Honeycutt and Cook picking up RBIs. Matthew Matthijs picked up his fourth win of the young season with two innings of relief.

The sweep improves UNC to 10-2 after the season’s first three weeks. With a five-game homestand over, the Diamond Heels will now hit the road for a challenging midweek game at No. 21 Campbell on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Pittsburgh will visit Boshamer Stadium next weekend to begin ACC play.

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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Powerful Bats Help UNC Baseball Sweep Princeton

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