After scoring 15 runs in an Opening Day win against Seton Hall, the UNC baseball team somehow improved on that result in game two the next day, plating 19 and giving up zero in a romp at Boshamer Stadium. The Diamond Heels would follow that up with a clinical 7-3 victory on Sunday to open the 2022 season with a gaudy sweep of the Pirates.

Carolina got started early in game two, with Angel Zarate and Danny Serretti scoring unearned runs after a Seton Hall throwing error and a sacrifice fly. Then, it was freshman outfielder Vance Honeycutt’s time to shine once again. In the bottom of the second, Honeycutt sent a towering shot to left field that cleared the Boshamer Stadium scoreboard before leaving the yard. It was Honeycutt’s third home run in his first two collegiate games.

The Tar Heels tacked on runs in each of the next three innings, and the score was already 7-0 Carolina before things got wacky in the bottom of the seventh. Eleven Tar Heels would cross the plate in the frame, starting with Serretti taking home on a wild pitch. Honeycutt would earn his second RBI of the afternoon after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, before four singles, a double, and another hit by pitch brought in the remaining nine runs and expanded UNC’s lead to an eye-popping 18-0. One more run in the bottom of the eight on a bases loaded walk brought the score to the final of 19-0.

It’s easy to forget through the offensive parade, but five Tar Heel pitchers combined to shut out the Pirates on the day. Sophomore Max Carlson got the start, scattering three hits and a walk over four inning while striking out five. Fellow sophomore Davis Palermo, a hometown hero from Chapel Hill, would be credited with the win after pitching in the fifth and sixth innings while allowing just one hit. Connor Ollio, Connor Bovair and Caleb Cozart would split the last three innings to seal the deal.

Almost by default, it was a quieter afternoon at the dish on Sunday in the final game of the series. Seton Hall got on the board first, with an RBI single in the top of the second off Carolina starter Shaddon Peavyhouse. Peavyhouse was appearing in a Tar Heel uniform for the first time after transferring in from Coastal Carolina.

The offense would pick Peavyhouse up in the bottom of the third, tying a game on a Mac Horvath walk with the bases loaded and then taking the lead on an RBI fielder’s choice from catcher Tomas Frick. RBI hits from Alberto Osuna and Zarate in the third and fourth innings padded the lead, before Zarate scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-1. Second baseman Patrick Alvarez plated Honeycutt with a single in the fifth, making it three straight games to begin the season with an RBI knock. The freshman Honeycutt scored runs in all three games as well.

Shawn Rapp earned the game three win for Carolina, entering the game in the fourth for Peavyhouse and allowing no hits through an inning and a third. Caden O’Brien and Gage Gillian, fresh off being named to the Stopper of the Year watch list, combined on the final five innings to slam the door on the Pirates.

This is the fourth straight season Carolina has begun the year with a sweep at Boshamer Stadium. The team will stay at home for a midweek visit from Elon on Tuesday, before No. 12 East Carolina comes to Chapel Hill for the first two games of a three-game weekend series. Boshamer Stadium will host games one and two on Friday and Saturday before the teams meet in Greenville on Sunday afternoon.

 

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 biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball Rides Big Inning to Blowout Win in ACC Championship Game
The Diamond Heels scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and crushed No. 5 seed Clemson 14-4 in the ACC Championship Game Sunday afternoon in Durham. The win clinches UNC’s ninth ACC Tournament title, second under fifth-year head coach Scott Forbes and third in the last six tournaments. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 🏆 We're […]
UNC Baseball Uses Late Rally to Beat Florida State in ACC Semifinals
The Diamond Heels scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning on their way to a 7-5 victory against No. 2 seed Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinals Saturday in Durham. UNC will face No. 5 Clemson in the championship game Sunday at 12 p.m. 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐆𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 We're on to the […]
Late Rally Helps UNC Baseball Beat Boston College, Advance to ACC Semifinals
The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 2-0 deficit against No. 14 seed Boston College and win 7-2 to advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals. Carolina will face No. 2 seed Florida State Saturday at 5 p.m. Cardiac Carolina is back baby! Win 1️⃣ of the […]
UNC Baseball in the ACC Championship: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Time
The Diamond Heels will play in the ACC Tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham this week. Carolina is the No. 3 seed in the field and will face No. 5 Clemson in the championship game Sunday. UNC is seeking its first tournament title since 2022. The tournament’s full bracket can be found […]
Here's the Complete Bracket for the 2025 ACC Baseball Tournament
The ACC Baseball Tournament returns to Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham this week. The tournament will begin Tuesday, May 20 and conclude Sunday, May 25. The tournament has a new format this season, moving away from the "Pool Play" model used in years past. This season, the tournament is a simple, single-elimination tournament which mirrors the brackets for the men's and women's basketball tournaments. The top four teams receive double-byes into the quarterfinals, while the teams seeded 5-8 receive byes into the second round. The teams seeded 9-16 will play Tuesday in the opening round.
UNC's Jake Knapp Named ACC Pitcher of the Year; 6 Other Teammates Honored
Jake Knapp is bringing home some hardware. The Diamond Heels ace was named the ACC’s Pitcher of the Year Monday afternoon, becoming the first UNC pitcher to win the award since J.B. Bukauskas in 2017 and the fifth overall, the most in the conference. 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 🏆 Jake Knapp is the ACC Pitcher of […]
Chansky's Notebook: Knapp Time!
Diamond Heels ace Jake Knapp has lived up to his name by putting opposing hitters to sleep all season long.
UNC Baseball Drops Series Finale at No. 2 Florida State, Will Be No. 3 Seed in ACC Tournament
No. 2 Florida State scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snatch the lead away from the Diamond Heels and win 5-4 in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee. Carolina trailed for much of the day after the Seminoles struck for three runs in the bottom of […]
UNC Baseball at Florida State (2025): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Times
The Diamond Heels will wrap up the 2025 regular season with a three-game series at No. 2 Florida State in Tallahassee this week. UNC faced the Seminoles in the 2024 Men’s College World Series, with Florida State winning and eliminating Carolina from the competition. If you aren’t taking the trip down south with the Diamond […]
UNC Baseball Blasts No. 2 Florida State, Clinches Series Via Run Rule
UNC scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take an 11-1 lead at No. 2 Florida State Friday night, and a clean bottom of the inning secured a dominant, 10-run rule victory for the Diamond Heels to clinch the series from the Seminoles. RUN RULE SECURES THE SERIES!! The Heels run […]
›