Grintz Goes 4 for 4, Knocks in 4 in 7-1 Win Over Elon

Tuesday, February 18

Chapel Hill, N.C.

2 p.m.

North Carolina

4-0

Elon University

3-1

Elon

North Carolina

Photo by: Rebecca Lawson

February 18, 2020 | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Four Tar Heel Pitchers Strike Out 15

By: Steve Kirschner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2020

GRINTZ DRIVES IN FOUR, TAR HEELS PITCHERS K 15 IN CAROLINA'S 7-1 WIN OVER ELON

CHAPEL HILL – Freshman catcher Eric Grintz went 4 for 4 and knocked in four runs and a quartet of UNC pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts as the Tar Heels defeated Elon, 7-1, Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium.

UNC is 4-0, while the Phoenix lost for the first time in four games.

Carolina out-hit Elon, 10-4, including three singles and a double by Grintz and two hits by Earl Semper, who was making his first career start in right field in place of Caleb Roberts, who broke his right hand sliding into second base in Sunday's game against Middle Tennessee.

"He's unconscious at the plate right now," says UNC head coach Mike Fox of Grintz.

Semper got the Tar Heels on the board in the second with a run-scoring single to left, then Grintz followed with a single to right that plated two more. He scored UNC's fourth run of the frame on a single by Dylan Harris.

That gave UNC starter Caden O'Brien a four-run cushion. O'Brien, working his way back from an injury-shortened season a year ago, tied his career high with seven strikeouts in three innings and allowed one run.

"O'Brien's getting close," says Fox. "He's working his way back. His velocity is not quite there, but he threw some good changeups. He's just missing up and got behind too many hitters early, but he settled in there. We have to be careful with him, but I'm glad we were able to get him out there and get a start and have him throw like he did."

O'Brien (7), Kyle Mott (3), Gage Gillian (2) and Shawn Rapp (3) struck out 15 Phoenix. Mott earned the victory by retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Gillian K'd two in two-thirds of an inning and Rapp picked up a save in his first collegiate game by striking out three in two and a third innings of shutout relief.

"Mott's a transfer from Pitt CC," says Fox. "So he's got a year of college baseball under his belt. We saw glimpses of (how he pitched today) when we recruited him. He's been a little inconsistent in the preseason, but he's gained some confidence and that's the best he's looked. I thought he looked really good.

"Shawn Rapp, a freshman walk-on, looked good, too. He flipped that little slider in there. We trust him and he's looked really good in practices and scrimmages (Rapp). You have to go by what you see. Our lefties don't like to face him, and he's got some calmness about him.
Overall, we pitched well and played good defense today."

Carolina added a solo run in the fourth on an infield hit by Mikey Madej and two runs in the eighth on Grintz's third double of the season. All three have plated a pair of runners and he leads UNC with eight RBI in four games.

The Tar Heels return to Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday at 3 p.m. against High Point.