Heels Score Late To Take Down NC A&T, 2-1

Tuesday, February 19

Chapel Hill

3 p.m.

North Carolina

4-0

North Carolina A&T

3-1

NC A&T

North Carolina

February 19, 2019 | Baseball

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By: T.J. Scholl

CHAPEL HILL – No. 5 North Carolina picked up just three hits on Tuesday, but Ashton McGee's two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning was enough to push the Tar Heels past North Carolina A&T with a 2-1 win.

Caden O'Brien's 3.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen gave him the win, moving his career record at UNC to 8-0. In relief, Austin Love fanned three batters in an inning and a third of work to earn his first save of his career.

KEY MOMENTS

Carolina's first strong chance to score came in the bottom of the second inning with a runner in scoring position and one out, but Danny Serretti and Ben Casparius were unable to put the Tar Heels on the board.
North Carolina A&T struck first in the top of the fourth inning. A.J. Hunt singled to left-center, driving in the first run of the game and giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead. Carolina starter freshman Josh Dotson collected an out before being relieved by Caden O'Brien after 3.1 innings of work.
Later in the fourth inning, Ike Freeman gunned down a runner at the dish to keep Aggies lead to one run.
Carolina got just its second hit of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning when Caleb Roberts singled to lead off the inning. Ike Freeman followed with a walk, putting two runners on with nobody out. With two outs, Ben Casparius walked to load the bases for Ashton McGee. The junior roped the first pitch he saw over the right fielder's head, driving in a pair to give UNC its first lead of the day, 2-1.
With two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Love relieved Andrew Grogan and picked up a strikeout to end the threat.
The Tar Heels had the opportunity to tack on insurance in the bottom of the eighth, but they stranded the bases loaded.
Love worked a scoreless final frame, notching the first save of his career and moving the Tar Heels to 4-0 on the season.

NOTABLES

Carolina extended its nation's-longest home winning streak to 22 games.
Ike Freeman extended his on-base streak to 12 games dating back to last season. His career-long is 14 games.
Brandon Martorano extended his hitting streak to six games, a career-high.
Freshman Caleb Roberts now has a hit in his first four collegiate games.
After his 3.2 scoreless innings on Tuesday, Caden O'Brien hasn't allowed a run in his last 10.1 regular-season innings.
Carolina's two runs in a win is the least amount of runs scored in a win since last season's win against NC A&T (1, March 13).
The UNC bullpen has allowed just one earned run in 20 innings of work this season (0.45 ERA).

Pitcher Records
Win, Caden O'Brien (1-0)
Loss, Giannis Smith (0-1)
Save, Austin Love (1)

Up Next
The No. 5 Tar Heels will host VCU Wednesday at 3 p.m., weather permitting. This weekend, Carolina will host USF for a weekend set at Boshamer Stadium.

Check GoHeels.com and @DiamondHeels on Twitter for information regarding weather-related updates for tomorrow.

Social Media
For all the latest on Carolina Baseball, be sure to follow the team at @DiamondHeels on Twitter and @CarolinaBaseball on Instagram.