Playing their first game back at Boshamer Stadium after their series win in Raleigh last weekend, the Diamond Heels picked up where they left off against visiting Gardner-Webb, banging out 15 hits and plating 12 runs in a blowout win.

The Carolina bats came to play immediately, as Angel Zarate led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to open the evening’s scoring. Each of UNC’s top four hitters recorded at least one hit, but it was freshman Vance Honeycutt who did the bulk of the damage. Batting in the cleanup spot, Honeycutt raked all night against the Bulldogs, going 4-5 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored. He fell a double short of the cycle.

Honeycutt homered and tripled in consecutive at-bats, and Carolina led 8-0 after four innings. Zarate was involved in much of the offense after that, scoring two runs with a double in the fifth and then scoring himself on a wild pitch in the seventh.

The 12 runs scored are the most by the Tar Heels since April 15, and the most in a win since April 8. It was more than enough run support for the Carolina pitchers. Shawn Rapp got the start, but fell just a third of an inning short of earning a decision. Rapp allowed three runs on five hits over 4.2 innings, and Caden O’Brien picked up his second win of the season out of the bullpen. Nik Pry, Will Sandy and freshman Alden Segui also saw action on the mound. It was Segui’s first appearance in a game this season.

Now winners of five of their last six games, the Tar Heels will look to keep the good times rolling Wednesday night when Charleston Southern visits Chapel Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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