No. 9 Tar Heels Open 2017 With 3-1 Win

Friday, February 17

Chapel Hill

3:00 PM

North Carolina

1-0

Kentucky

0-1

Kentucky

North Carolina

February 17, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score Photo Album Box Score (PDF)

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL --- Preseason All-American J.B. Bukauskas struck out 10 over six shutout innings as No. 9 North Carolina started its 2017 season on a winning note with a 3-1 victory over visiting Kentucky Friday at Boshamer Stadium. Zack Gahagan drove in a pair of runs and Josh Hiatt picked up a four-out save in his collegiate debut to lift the Tar Heels to their 18th season-opening win in 19 years under head coach Mike Fox.

Carolina (1-0) staked Bukauskas to a three-run lead with single runs in the first, third and fourth innings. Gahagan plated each of the first two runs with opposite-field singles before Logan Warmoth's RBI single made it 3-0 in the fourth.

That would prove to be plenty of support for the flame-throwing junior. One year after finishing third nationally in strikeout rate (12.75 K/9), Bukauskas picked up right where he left off. The Ashburn, Virginia, righty worked out of trouble in the first two innings and then proceeded to dominate the next four. He had at least one strikeout in each of six frames, including a pair against the final two batters he faced.

Rodney Hutchison Jr. and Josh Hiatt retired the final nine Wildcats to secure the win. Hutchison fanned a pair over 1.2 innings before giving way to Hiatt with two on and two out in the eighth. Making his UNC debut, Hiatt stranded two in the eighth before striking out the side in the ninth. The final inning wasn't without drama, however, as UK (0-1) plated an unearned run and got the tying runs aboard before Hiatt whiffed Kole Cottam to end it.

Brandon Riley had three hits and Brian Miller added two for the Tar Heels, who will send junior righty Jason Morgan to the hill in game two Saturday at 2 p.m.

Zach Reks led Kentucky with three hits while Evan White, Bukauskas' USA Baseball summer teammate had a pair. UK starter Sean Hjelle (0-1) allowed three runs on 11 hits over five innings.