The Diamond Heels earned their fourth straight win to start the 2022 season Tuesday evening, topping visiting Elon 5-1 at Boshamer Stadium.

Sophomore Will Sandy took the mound for his first start of the season, and the lefty impressed through four innings, allowing just three hits, one unearned run and striking out three Phoenix batters. Elon capitalized on an error from shortstop Danny Serretti to plate a run in the third inning, and Sandy was on the hook for a tough-luck loss after he tossed his final pitch in the fourth.

But the Carolina offense came to life in the bottom half of the frame. Freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt continued to impress in the early going, raking a wall-ball double to move Alberto Osuna over to third base with no outs. First baseman Johnny Castagnozzi would drive in both runners with a towering double to center field. Castagnozzi missed a home run by about a millimeter as his ball bounced off the top of the wall and back into the field of play.

He would be back for more in the eighth. Castagnozzi got his home run and then some, sending a booming drive over the left field scoreboard for a two-run blast. It was measured at 429 feet.

Behind Sandy in relief, Connor Bovair, Shawn Rapp and Kyle Mott combined to toss five innings of shutout ball, scattering just two hits and a walk between them and striking out nine. Bovair earned the win, which is already his second of 2022.

Castagnozzi and Honeycutt finished as two of four Tar Heels to record two hits, along with outfielder Angel Zarate and catcher Tomas Frick. Zarate’s hits extended his on-base streak to 27 games, dating back to the 2021 season. Honeycutt, in his first collegiate season, is batting .462 through four games and has scored a run in each.

Carolina faces its toughest challenge of the young season this weekend, as the No. 25 East Carolina Pirates will visit Boshamer Stadium for the first two games of a three-game series. The teams will play the third game in Greenville on Sunday. The Tar Heels and Pirates split a two-game, home-and-home series in 2021.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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 biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball Drops Regular Season Finale at NC State; Will Be No. 2 Seed in ACC Tournament
The Diamond Heels fell behind early and could not complete a three-game sweep of NC State in Raleigh Saturday, losing 7-2 in the regular season finale. The Wolfpack struck for two runs in the first inning against Carolina starter Folger Boaz, and it was the start of a long afternoon for UNC pitching. NC State […]
UNC Baseball Drills NC State in Run Rule Victory to Clinch Series Win
The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the second inning, four in the fourth and seven in the fifth on their way to a 17-7 win at NC State Friday in Raleigh. The win, which came in seven innings via the run rule, clinched a ninth consecutive series win for UNC. 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐓 𝐔𝐏 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊 […]
UNC Baseball Stays Hot With Series Opening Win at NC State
The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning on their way to a 9-4 win at NC State in Raleigh Thursday night. 𝐖𝐨𝐧 the first battle. Start the series strong 💪#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ouJhmgIWCh — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 15, 2026 The big inning came after UNC had already taken […]
UNC Baseball at NC State (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Times
The Diamond Heels will wrap up the regular season when they visit NC State in Raleigh for a three-game series beginning Thursday night. UNC is 20-7 in conference games this year and still has a chance to win the ACC regular season title, though it would need Georgia Tech to lose twice to do so. […]
UNC Baseball Hits 4 Home Runs, Wins Slugfest at UNC-Wilmington
The Diamond Heels set a new season high by hitting four home runs in a 13-7 win at UNC-Wilmington Tuesday night. It was the second win of the season for UNC against the Seahawks, after Carolina won 14-5 at Boshamer Stadium in April. Bosh Bombers brought it to the beach! 🏖️#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/5RHrMzIGKH — […]
UNC Baseball Beats Pittsburgh to Finish Off Sweep in Regular Season Home Finale
The Diamond Heels broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 7-3 win against Pittsburgh at Boshamer Stadium Sunday. The win finished off a three-game sweep of the Panthers, UNC’s first at home in ACC play. 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐇 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐒🧹🧹🧹 Sent the seniors out with a […]
UNC Baseball Cruises Past Pittsburgh in Run Rule Victory
The Diamond Heels scored nine runs across the final four innings of Saturday’s contest against Pittsburgh at Boshamer Stadium, beating the Panthers 12-2 in a game ended after eight innings via the run rule. 𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐔𝐍 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄 🥳#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/cnMfEQVGVC — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 9, 2026 The blowout win overshadowed what was […]
Strong Pitching Leads UNC Baseball Past Pittsburgh in Series Opener
Three Diamond Heels pitchers combined to allow just six Pittsburgh hits and strike out 12 Panther batters in a 4-1 UNC win at Boshamer Stadium Friday night. Got the win! 𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 🎆#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/rX03MgYc2T — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 9, 2026 Jason DeCaro earned his ninth win of the season and lowered […]
UNC Baseball Dominates Duke at Boshamer Stadium
Macon Winslow banged out three hits and collected five runs batted in against his former team Sunday as the Diamond Heels trounced Duke 13-0 in seven innings at Boshamer Stadium. 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 😁#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/B72N5bbvrn — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 3, 2026 Winslow was got himself involved early amid a six-run first […]
No. 9 Coastal Carolina Trounces UNC Baseball at Boshamer Stadium
No. 9 Coastal Carolina scored six runs in the seventh inning to blow open a close game at Boshamer Stadium, and the Chanticleers cruised from there to a 12-2 win against the Diamond Heels. Coastal Carolina opened the scoring quickly against UNC starter Jackson Rose, going ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning. […]
›