Tar Heels Win Series, Take Game Two Over Wake Forest 6-1

Saturday, March 31

Chapel Hill

4 p.m.

North Carolina

17-10, 0

Wake Forest

11-16, 0

Wake Forest

North Carolina

..gives the Heels their final 6-1 margin.

Michael Busch

Photo by: Joe Bray

March 31, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score Overall Stats Play By Play Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Davis Dupree

North Carolina (17-10) defeated Wake Forest 6-1 on Saturday afternoon at Boshamer to secure its second ACC series win of the year. Austin Bergner picked up his fourth win of the year going six innings and allowing one earned run while Michael Busch went 4 for 5 at the plate with a solo home run in the eighth inning.

Wake Forest struck first on a Bobby Seymour solo home run down the right field line in the top of the second inning, but the Heels responded quickly in the bottom of the frame. Zack Gahagan got plunked to lead off the inning and eventually came around to score from second on a throwing error by the shortstop to tie up the game at one. Ike Freeman hit a chopper to short, but after the high throw Gahagan was able to beat the throw home as the Heels tied the game, 1-1.

The Demon Deacons threatened in the top of the fifth with a pair of runners on base. A hard hit ball down the first base line looked like extra bases, but Michael Busch laid out and snagged the ball on a short hop and flipped to Austin Bergner covering the bag to escape the inning.

Carolina took the lead in the bottom half of the inning on a Brandon Riley sac fly to center field. Roberts singled to start the inning and later advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on the sac fly which proved to be the winning run.

Bergner once again escaped trouble again in the sixth by striking out a Wake Forest batter to end the inning with a runner on third. Bergner finished with a nice line of 6 innings pitched, allowing one earned run, four hits while striking out four. Over his last three starts, Bergner has a 1.33 ERA and only surrendered three earned runs while striking out 26 batters.

The Heels finally got some separation with a three-run sixth inning as they took the 5-1 lead. A couple of singles by Ashton McGee and Ike Freeman before Dylan Enwiller was hit by a pitch loaded the bases with nobody out. Dallas Tessar grounded out to first to score a run before Roberts continued his hot streak with a double down the left field line to plate a pair and push the lead to four.

After flying out to the wall in right-center in the fifth, Busch didn't miss his chance in the eighth, blasting one over the wall in the exact same spot for his eighth long ball on the year. Busch had another big day, going 4-5 and adding to his nation's best RBI total.

Freeman, Roberts, and Kyle Datres all recorded multiple hits on the day for the Tar Heels while six different Tar Heels scored.

The pitching staff of Bergner, Cooper Criswell and Brett Daniels combined to allow just the one run and five hits on the day while striking out seven batters.

The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons will close the series tomorrow at 2 p.m. back at Boshamer Stadium.