Picking up right where it left off on Friday night, the No. 6 UNC baseball team jumped all over the mistake-prone Duke Blue Devils in a series-clinching 12-2 win on Saturday.
Junior center fielder Tyler Ramirez continued his hot start in 2016, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park–including a two-run triple that kick-started a three-run first inning for the Tar Heels.
Ramirez also had an RBI single early in the third inning, which UNC was able to capitalize on with four more runs in the frame–making it 8-0 before all of Duke’s lineup had a chance to bat.
Now 16-2 (4-1 ACC) this season, the Tar Heels needed just eight hits to get their 12 runs.
UNC has made scoring runs look easy as of late–scoring in double digits in each of its last four games, and eight of its last 10. (Joe Bray/ UNC Athletics)
Duke–which actually outdid UNC with nine hits–falls to 10-9 (1-4 ACC) with the loss.
On the mound, sophomore starting pitcher JB Bukauskas (3-0) built off of what UNC head coach Mike Fox called his “best start as a Tar Heel” last week against Pittsburgh.
The Ashburn, Virginia native threw 110 pitches over six innings, striking out seven while only giving up four hits on his way to the win.
After being plagued by five errors on Friday, the Blue Devils had a costly error in the huge five-run third inning that broke the game open.
Duke third baseman Max Miller misfired on a throw to second base on a double play attempt. UNC freshman Kyle Datres scored on the play as expected, however, instead of two outs there were none.
Two batters later, Eli Sutherland doubled home Ramirez. Then freshman Brandon Riley hit an RBI groundout that scored Tyler Lynn.
Duke eventually had to go to its third pitcher of the game before UNC right fielder Adam Pate was walked with the bases loaded for the fifth run of the inning.
Pate finished the day 0-for-2 at the plate, but walked three times and had two RBIs–the only Tar Heel other than Ramirez to have more than one RBI.
Wyatt Cross (35) was credited with an RBI for being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. (Joe Bray/ UNC Athletics)
Problems in the field for Duke–this time a passed ball–also allowed UNC to score one of its two runs in the fifth inning. Freshman catcher Chris Proctor allowed a pitch by reliever Hunter Davis to get by him–letting Cody Roberts come home safely.
After reaching double digit runs for the eighth time in the last ten games, the Tar Heels continued to take what the Blue Devils gave them.
Up 11-1 in the eighth inning, freshman Wyatt Cross came in to pinch hit for UNC with the bases loaded. He was then hit with a 1-2 pitch by reliever Al Pesto, bringing in yet another run to score for the Tar Heels.
Coming out of the UNC bullpen to take care of the finish was sophomore Brett Daniels–who threw two scoreless innings–and junior lefty Zach Rice.
Rice allowed Duke to add one to its run total in the ninth, but by then the game was obviously well out of reach.
Up Next:
The series finale in Durham is set for Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Game Notes:
- Tyler Ramirez is hitting .415 through 18 games for UNC–good enough for the team lead.
- The Tar Heels are now 11-0 this season when scoring in the first inning.
- First baseman Brian Miller was back in the starting lineup for the Tar Heels after missing Friday’s game due to illness. He went 0-for-4 with a pair of walks.
- Bukauskas has allowed just one run over his last 13 innings pitched.
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