Although the bats have struggled to find life so far for much of the 20th-ranked UNC baseball team, the same can’t be said for sophomore first baseman Michael Busch–who continued his torrid start to the season with three RBIs Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium in the Tar Heels’ 6-5 victory over the Liberty Flames.

Busch went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a two-run homer in the game, accounting for half of UNC’s total offense.

He homered on the first pitch he saw all game to give the Tar Heels a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, while his double broke a 5-5 tie and provided the final difference on the scoreboard.

Through 11 games this season, the sophomore is hitting .405 with three home runs and 20 RBIs–leading the team in all three triple crown categories.

Besides junior infielder Kyle Datres–who has a .362 average–no other Tar Heel is hitting better than .244 or has more than 10 RBIs.

In addition to Busch’s efforts–which have come to be expected at this point–Cody Roberts doubled home two runs (including Busch) in the third inning and Brandon Martorano added a solo home run in the fourth.

Liberty (6-4) piled on all five of its runs over the first three frames and finished the day with just five hits.

The Tar Heel bullpen held the Flames without a single baserunner over the final five innings–retiring a total of 17 straight hitters to finish the game.

Following a 17-2 blowout victory on Friday, Saturday’s win gives UNC its first series victory at Boshamer Stadium in 2018.

Up Next:

UNC will go for the three-game sweep over Liberty on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

 

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

Photo via Joe Bray (UNC Athletics)

Related Stories
‹
Liberty Takes Down No. 14 UNC Baseball for Second Time in 2021
In a battle between two longtime UNC assistant coaches on Tuesday night in Lynchburg, head coach Scott Jackson’s Liberty Flames again got the best of Scott Forbes’ Tar Heels–winning this time by a score of 8-4. This marks the second time the Flames (11-5) have gotten the best of the 14th-ranked Tar Heels (10-5) in […]
Diamond Heels Avenge Early Season Loss to Liberty With 11-5 Win on Tuesday
Nine runs in the first three innings on Tuesday night at Boshamer Stadium helped the 15th-ranked UNC baseball team cruise to an 11-5 victory over the Liberty Flames–avenging a 2-0 loss the Tar Heels suffered to them back on March 19. Aaron Sabato and Ashton McGee each drove in four runs apiece for UNC (34-12), […]
Bats Carry UNC Baseball to Impressive Series Sweep Over Liberty
Make it four straight victories for the 20th-ranked UNC baseball team, which used a 10-run fourth inning on Sunday afternoon to take down the Liberty Flames by a score of 13-8. The win completed a three-game weekend sweep for the Tar Heels (7-5) at Boshamer Stadium where they outscored their opponents 36-15. This comes after […]
UNC Baseball Lays Down the Hammer in 17-2 Series-Opening Victory Over Liberty
Eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning helped the No. 20 UNC baseball team blow the doors wide open Friday evening at Boshamer Stadium, as the Tar Heels rolled to a 17-2 victory in their series opener against the Liberty Flames. Sophomore Tyler Baum picked up the victory on the mound in his […]
Late Surge Helps Liberty Stun No. 4 UNC Baseball
In his first game back at Boshamer Stadium since leaving his longtime assistant coaching job at UNC this past offseason, Liberty head coach Scott Jackson was triumphant against the fourth-ranked Tar Heels on Tuesday night. The Flames (21-14) scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning against UNC reliever Rodney Hutchison on the […]
UNC Baseball Assistant Scott Jackson Named Head Coach at Liberty
The home dugout at Boshamer Stadium is set to undergo the biggest facelift it’s had since 2008. For nearly a decade, the Diamond Heels’ coaching staff led by Mike Fox, Scott Jackson and Scott Forbes has been a constant while the UNC baseball program reached heights it had never previously seen. Now, after the Tar Heels have […]
Williams Throws Another Gem to Lead UNC Baseball Past Liberty
Freshman left-hander Hunter Williams tossed six scoreless innings, and allowed just three hits, carrying the UNC baseball team to a 6-0 shutout victory over the Liberty Flames on Wednesday night at Boshamer Stadium. Over his last three starts, all mid-week games (vs Appalachian State, at Elon, and this one vs Liberty), the freshman has now […]
Flames Extinguished by UNC Baseball
Clutch performances from freshmen hitters lifted Coach Mike Fox and his 11th ranked UNC baseball squad to a 6-4 road win Monday night over the Liberty Flames in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Tar Heels were able to recover from their loss on Sunday and improve to 7-3, while Liberty drops to 6-4. Third baseman Logan Warmoth […]
No. 1 UNC Baseball Tops Liberty With Help From Colin Moran Grand Slam
CHAPEL HILL – The No. 1 UNC baseball team blew past Liberty with a grand slam by its homerun leader to take win number 31 on the season, 7-5 Wednesday night at the Bosh.The Flames are one of just a few teams to have an early lead on the Tar Heels this season, but that lead didn’t […]
Former UNC Star Michael Busch Shines at MLB All-Star Futures Game
Former UNC star Michael Busch became just the fourth Tar Heel to ever play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, and made the most of his time on the field. Busch was selected in the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and has been playing […]
›