Tar Heels Roll Past Maryland, 13-1

Tuesday, March 20

Chapel Hill

2:30 p.m.

North Carolina

Maryland

Michael Busch (15) had four RBIs against Maryland.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

March 20, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery Photo Gallery II

By: Joe Wedra

CHAPEL HILL --- The North Carolina offense caught fire on Tuesday afternoon to give the Diamond Heels a 13-1 win over visiting Maryland. Rodney Hutchison Jr. tossed seven full innings to pick up his second straight victory.

Carolina (13-8) started the scoring in the bottom of the first with continued success from the top of the lineup. After a Michael Busch single and a double from Kyle Datres that chopped over third base, Zack Gahagan put a drive into a ball that ended up getting caught on the warning track in right field. It was enough to score Busch, giving the Tar Heels the early 1-0 edge.

With Hutchison cruising through the first two frames, it didn't take long for the Tar Heel offense to provide more early insurance. After Ben Casparius bunted to move two runners into scoring position, Brandon Martorano singled to advance the lead to three. Two batters later, Datres drove in his eighth run of the season on a sacrifice fly to center to give the Heels a 4-0 advantage after two.

The Tar Heels added two runs in both the third and fourth frames to push the lead to 8-0. Casparius picked up RBI singles in both innings, while Ike Freeman singled for the third time in four innings. On the year, Freeman now ranks second on the team with a .355 average.

As Hutchison continued to roll on the mound, the North Carolina offense provided plenty of added cushion. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Busch hit a ball well over the fence in right-center for a grand slam, his fifth home run of the year and first career grand slam. It pushed the lead to 13-1 and boosted his team-leading RBI mark to 31.

The long ball marked the first UNC grand slam since Zack Gahagan's four-run round-tripper on April 8, 2017, against Boston College.

With the lead secure after the seventh, Caden O'Brien entered out of the bullpen to wrap up Hutchison's outing. The right-hander went seven full innings, allowing just one run and striking out six. Over his last two starts, Hutchison has now allowed just one run over 16 innings.

O'Brien and Hansen Butler tallied the game's final outs, giving the Heels the 13-1 win and moving the season record to 13-8.

North Carolina's 18 hits set a season-high mark, the most in a game since May 14, 2017 against Virginia Tech (18).

The Tar Heels will be back in action this weekend for a series against Florida State. Friday's 6 p.m. game will be followed by a 4 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday afternoon.