
Four Pitchers Combine To Shutout Coastal Carolina
March 5, 2022 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL – A foursome of North Carolina pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout Saturday at Boshamer Stadium as the Diamond Heels blanked Coastal Carolina, 4-0.
UNC starting pitcher Max Carlson allowed two hits in four innings and struck five before the trio of Gage Gillian, Davis Palermo and Caden O'Brien surrendered just three hits and struck out six over the final five innings.
Sophomore Hunter Stokely collected a pair of hits and drove in pair, including one of two runs UNC scored in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Junior college transfer Alberto Osuna knocked in the Heels' first run of the game with a double down the left field line, plating Mac Horvath from first base. Stokely followed with a base hit to left field to drive home Osuna and give the Carolina pitching staff all the run support it needed.
Carlson worked himself out of a first inning jam after the Chanticleers loaded the bases courtesy of a pair of walks and a one out single. Carlson struck out the final two batters of inning looking to keep CCU off the scoreboard.
Gillian entered the game in the fifth inning with a runner on first and retired all three men he faced and then struck out the side in the sixth inning. He earned the victory with three strikeouts in three innings of relief.
Carolina added another run in the seventh as Tomas Frick singled to drive in Vance Honeycutt with two outs.
Stokely drove in the final run of the game in fifth as Horvath scored his second run of the night after being hit by a pitch.
Palermo tossed a scoreless eighth for O'Brien sat the Chanticleers down in order in the ninth.
NOTABLES
• Carolina recorded its third shutout of the season after posting just one shutout (5-0 vs. Louisville, May 15) last season. Each of the Heels' three shutouts have come on Saturday.
• Carlson has started in each of UNC's three shutouts while Palermo has pitched in relief in each of those games.
• Carlson struck out five batters for the third time in three starts this season.
• Zarate extended his hitting streak to 11 games. It's tied for the second-longest hitting streak of his career. He had a 12-game hitting streak in 2021 and an 11-game streak in 2020. He also extended his on-base streak to 34 consecutive games.
• Stokely recorded his third consecutive multi-hit game and extended his hitting streak to four games. He is 7-for-12 at the plate during his streak.
• Honeycutt swiped his 11th base in 11 attempts this season. He is the first Tar Heel in the NCAA Super Regional ERA (since 1999) to steal 11 bases in the first 11 games without being caught.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Osuna hit a two-out double down the left field line in the fourth inning which allowed Horvath to score from first base. Stokely followed with a base hit to drive home Osuna (UNC 2, CCU 0).
• Honeycutt walked with one out in the seventh, stole second and went to third on a ground out. He then scored on a Frick single to center (UNC 3, CCU 0).
• Horvath was hit by a pitch with one out in the eighth, then stole second and scored on a Stokely hit back up the middle (UNC 4, CCU 0).
UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels and Chanticleers will wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
UNC starting pitcher Max Carlson allowed two hits in four innings and struck five before the trio of Gage Gillian, Davis Palermo and Caden O'Brien surrendered just three hits and struck out six over the final five innings.
Sophomore Hunter Stokely collected a pair of hits and drove in pair, including one of two runs UNC scored in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Junior college transfer Alberto Osuna knocked in the Heels' first run of the game with a double down the left field line, plating Mac Horvath from first base. Stokely followed with a base hit to left field to drive home Osuna and give the Carolina pitching staff all the run support it needed.
Carlson worked himself out of a first inning jam after the Chanticleers loaded the bases courtesy of a pair of walks and a one out single. Carlson struck out the final two batters of inning looking to keep CCU off the scoreboard.
Gillian entered the game in the fifth inning with a runner on first and retired all three men he faced and then struck out the side in the sixth inning. He earned the victory with three strikeouts in three innings of relief.
Carolina added another run in the seventh as Tomas Frick singled to drive in Vance Honeycutt with two outs.
Stokely drove in the final run of the game in fifth as Horvath scored his second run of the night after being hit by a pitch.
Palermo tossed a scoreless eighth for O'Brien sat the Chanticleers down in order in the ninth.
NOTABLES
• Carolina recorded its third shutout of the season after posting just one shutout (5-0 vs. Louisville, May 15) last season. Each of the Heels' three shutouts have come on Saturday.
• Carlson has started in each of UNC's three shutouts while Palermo has pitched in relief in each of those games.
• Carlson struck out five batters for the third time in three starts this season.
• Zarate extended his hitting streak to 11 games. It's tied for the second-longest hitting streak of his career. He had a 12-game hitting streak in 2021 and an 11-game streak in 2020. He also extended his on-base streak to 34 consecutive games.
• Stokely recorded his third consecutive multi-hit game and extended his hitting streak to four games. He is 7-for-12 at the plate during his streak.
• Honeycutt swiped his 11th base in 11 attempts this season. He is the first Tar Heel in the NCAA Super Regional ERA (since 1999) to steal 11 bases in the first 11 games without being caught.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Osuna hit a two-out double down the left field line in the fourth inning which allowed Horvath to score from first base. Stokely followed with a base hit to drive home Osuna (UNC 2, CCU 0).
• Honeycutt walked with one out in the seventh, stole second and went to third on a ground out. He then scored on a Frick single to center (UNC 3, CCU 0).
• Horvath was hit by a pitch with one out in the eighth, then stole second and scored on a Stokely hit back up the middle (UNC 4, CCU 0).
UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels and Chanticleers will wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gillian, Gage (1-0)
L: VanScoter, Reid (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Brown, Graham 1
SH: Brown, Graham 1
Base Running:
SB: White, Austin 1 ; Thomas, Dale 1

Batting:
2B: Osuna, Alberto 1
RBI: Frick, Tomas 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Horvath, Mac 2 ; Osuna, Alberto 1
SB: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Horvath, Mac 1
HBP: Castagnozzi, Johnny 2 ; Horvath, Mac 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
Players Mentioned
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