The Diamond Heels played home run derby Friday afternoon. Carolina hammered five home runs out of Durham Bulls Athletic Park to earn its first road win of the season, a 10-5 victory over Duke.
Freshman star Vance Honeycutt got the afternoon going in style, leading off the top of the first with a solo shot. He leads the team with seven home runs on the season, though his teammates would do some catching up before the day was done. Alberto Osuna and Johnny Castagnozzi led off the second and third innings with dingers of their own, giving some loud run support to starting pitcher Brandon Schaeffer.
Danny Serretti touched off one of his own in the top of the seventh, which gave UNC valuable insurance after Duke had cut a 5-1 lead down to 5-4. Osuna hit his second long ball of the day in the eighth, and he and Castagnozzi both earned more RBI for good measure in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach. Osuna and Serretti tied for the team lead on the day with three RBI each; Serretti hit an RBI single in the first inning in addition to his home run. Five Tar Heels finished with at least two hits.
Schaeffer only went three innings in what was his shortest start of the season. Kyle Mott was first out of the bullpen for head coach Scott Forbes and earned his fifth win of the year, and third in the last five games, with three innings of relief. The familiar trio of Gage Gillian, Shawn Rapp and Caden O’Brien combined for the final three innings to seal the win.
The result clinched UNC’s first 4-0 start in ACC play since 2012, and a 16-2 overall record. It was also Carolina’s first win away from Boshamer Stadium in 2022, even if the road trip was the shortest the team will take this season. The Tar Heels will try to clinch the series in Saturday’s game, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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