Friday, February 25
Chapel Hill
4 p.m.
North Carolina
5-0
7
vs
4
East Carolina
1-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
East Carolina
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
4
8
1
North Carolina
1
1
3
0
0
0
2
0
X
7
9
3
Carolina Holds On to Beat East Carolina
February 25, 2022 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL – The Tar Heels scored in each of the first three innings and built a five-run cushion and held on to defeat No. 25 East Carolina, 7-4, at Boshamer Stadium on Friday in the first of a three-game series.
North Carolina (5-0) scored four of its seven runs via the home run as Vance Honeycutt and Alberto Osuna launched solo shots, while Mac Horvath hit a two-run insurance home run in the seventh inning to give UNC a 7-2 lead.
ECU (1-4) added two runs in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but Caden O'Brien came on to get the final out and preserve the victory, recording the Diamond Heels' first save of the year.
Junior Brandon Schaeffer earned his second win of the season, allowing one run in five innings with five strikeouts before turning the game over to the bullpen. Garret Saylor suffered his second loss of the year for ECU, yielding five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings.
NOTABLES
• Honeycutt became the second Tar Heel to hit a leadoff home run this season. Angel Zarate led off the Seton Hall series with a home run on Opening Day.
• Osuna and Horvath each hit their first home runs of the season, while Honeycutt blasted his fourth.
• The Tar Heels have hit 10 home runs through the first five games, the most since hitting 13 in the first five games of the 2008 season.
• Eight of Carolina's nine starters got a hit with Horvath being the lone player to collect multiple hits (2).
• O'Brien picked up his first save of the season and first since closing out the win over NC State at the ACC Tournament last year (5/28/21).
• Johnny Castagnozzi scored the Tar Heels' third run of the season on a wild pitch in third inning.
• Five Carolina pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts with only three walks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Honeycutt deposited an 0-1 pitch halfway up the netting in center field to lead off the bottom of the first.
• Osuna hit his first home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the second on the first pitch he saw.
• Carolina got three runs in third inning. Danny Serretti singled to start the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly from Osuna. Reece Holbrook doubled to drive in Tomas Frick then Castagnozzi plated the final run of the frame on a wild pitch.
• Bryson Worrell hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth to get ECU on the board.
• Horvath pushed Carolina back out to a five-run lead, 7-2, with a two-run homer in the seventh inning.
• Cam Clonch hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the top of the ninth for ECU. Lane Hoover, who reached on a bunt single with two outs, made the scored 7-4 after scoring on a Carolina throwing error.
UP NEXT
The Tar Heels and Pirates will continue their three-game series with game two Saturday at 2 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
North Carolina (5-0) scored four of its seven runs via the home run as Vance Honeycutt and Alberto Osuna launched solo shots, while Mac Horvath hit a two-run insurance home run in the seventh inning to give UNC a 7-2 lead.
ECU (1-4) added two runs in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but Caden O'Brien came on to get the final out and preserve the victory, recording the Diamond Heels' first save of the year.
Junior Brandon Schaeffer earned his second win of the season, allowing one run in five innings with five strikeouts before turning the game over to the bullpen. Garret Saylor suffered his second loss of the year for ECU, yielding five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings.
NOTABLES
• Honeycutt became the second Tar Heel to hit a leadoff home run this season. Angel Zarate led off the Seton Hall series with a home run on Opening Day.
• Osuna and Horvath each hit their first home runs of the season, while Honeycutt blasted his fourth.
• The Tar Heels have hit 10 home runs through the first five games, the most since hitting 13 in the first five games of the 2008 season.
• Eight of Carolina's nine starters got a hit with Horvath being the lone player to collect multiple hits (2).
• O'Brien picked up his first save of the season and first since closing out the win over NC State at the ACC Tournament last year (5/28/21).
• Johnny Castagnozzi scored the Tar Heels' third run of the season on a wild pitch in third inning.
• Five Carolina pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts with only three walks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Honeycutt deposited an 0-1 pitch halfway up the netting in center field to lead off the bottom of the first.
• Osuna hit his first home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the second on the first pitch he saw.
• Carolina got three runs in third inning. Danny Serretti singled to start the frame and scored on a sacrifice fly from Osuna. Reece Holbrook doubled to drive in Tomas Frick then Castagnozzi plated the final run of the frame on a wild pitch.
• Bryson Worrell hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth to get ECU on the board.
• Horvath pushed Carolina back out to a five-run lead, 7-2, with a two-run homer in the seventh inning.
• Cam Clonch hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the top of the ninth for ECU. Lane Hoover, who reached on a bunt single with two outs, made the scored 7-4 after scoring on a Carolina throwing error.
UP NEXT
The Tar Heels and Pirates will continue their three-game series with game two Saturday at 2 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schaeffer, Brandon (2-0)
L: SAYLOR, Garrett (0-2)
S: O'Brien, Caden (1)
Batting:
HR: WORRELL, Bryson 1 ; CLONCH, Cam 1
RBI: WORRELL, Bryson 2 ; CLONCH, Cam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOOVER, Lane 2 ; WORRELL, Bryson 1 ; CLONCH, Cam 1
Batting:
2B: Holbrook, Reece 1
HR: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Horvath, Mac 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1
RBI: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Horvath, Mac 2 ; Osuna, Alberto 2 ; Holbrook, Reece 1
SF: Osuna, Alberto 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Zarate, Angel 1 ; Serretti, Danny 1 ; Frick, Tomas 1 ; Horvath, Mac 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1
SB: Zarate, Angel 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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C
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OF
/ BaseballINF/OF
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INF
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LHP
/ Baseball
1B/DH
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
SS
/ Baseball
OF
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