Tar Heels Sweep Pitt, Win Sunday Finale 13-2

Sunday, March 18

Chapel Hill

1 p.m.

North Carolina

12-8-8, 0

Pittsburgh

11-7, 0

Pittsburgh

North Carolina

March 18, 2018 | Baseball

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By: T.J. Scholl

Chapel Hill – North Carolina put on an offensive clinic on Sunday against the Pitt Panthers to complete the series sweep with a 13-2 win. Over the weekend the Tar Heels outscored the Panthers 32-5 to record its first home-opening ACC series sweep since 2011. After dropping its first two ACC games of the season, the Tar Heels have won four straight and are now tied for first place in the Coastal Division.

Carolina got offensive contributions from just about everyone during Sunday's game as nine Tar Heels recorded base hits and seven different players crossed the plate. Zack Gahagan, Brandon Riley and Ike Freeman combined for eight hits, five runs and six RBI on the day while Michael Busch and Brandon Riley added to their home run totals with one a piece.

For the second day in a row the Tar Heels scored in the first inning, this time it was with a two-out rally that saw the Heels take a 2-0 lead. After Kyle Datres was hit by a pitch, Gahagan kept the inning alive with a single to center field before Brandon Riley walked to load the bases. Ike Freeman, who came in to the day hitting .462 with runners in scoring position, lined a double down the third base line to bring home Datres and Gahagan for the early lead.

Carolina picked up where it left off in the first inning as they scored five more runs in the next two innings to increase their advantage to 7-0. Jackson Hesterlee doubled to lead off the inning from the designated hitter spot before he was brought home by Kip Brandenburg's single to center field. After Cody Roberts walked to put runners on first and second Michael Busch crushed an opposite field home run for his fifth on the season as the Tar Heels went up, 6-0. A Cody Roberts double down the left field line in the third inning scored Hesterlee from first base to give Carolina the 7-0 lead.

After loading the bases with no out, Pitt responded with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth inning. A single by David Yanni and walks to Liam Sabino and Ron Washington loaded the bases for Nick Banman. The Pitt first baseman then hit a grounder to Michael Busch at first base who threw to second base for the double play, but Ike Freemans return throw was over the head of covering pitcher Taylor Sugg allowing a second Panther to score.

Brandon Riley got both of those runs back with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run to right field. After Gahagan singled to lead off the inning, Riley hit his third home run of the season to give the Heels a 9-2 lead.

The Tar Heels would go on to score four more runs over the next five innings to give them the 13 -2 win and complete the series sweep and move to 12-8 on the season and 4-2 in the ACC.

Taylor Sugg picked up his second win on the season after throwing a new career high with 5.1 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out four Panther batters.

Carolina will be back at the Bosh on Tuesday, March 20 at 6 p.m. as they host Maryland before hosting No. 7 Florida State over the weekend in a three-game series.