
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Diamond Heels Douse The Flames
April 27, 2022 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL – Brandon Schaeffer tossed 4.1 scoreless innings and the Diamond Heels racked up 10 hits to defeat visiting Liberty, 8-1, at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday to end a three-game losing streak.
Schaeffer (4-1) entered the game in the top of the fourth inning with UNC (24-17) ahead 5-1. After yielding a single to each of the first two batters he faced, promptly retired the next three in order without surrendering a run. He only faced nine batters during those three innings and the one batter he walked was erased on a double play in the fifth inning.
He retired eight in a row after the walk and was lifted following a fielding error in the eighth. Schaeffer finished the game with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched.
The Diamond Heels put five runs on the scoreboard in the second inning. Max Riemer and Mikey Madej delivered back-to-back RBI-singles to open the scoring and Madej scored from third on a wild pitch. Danny Serretti singled up the middle that pushed two Carolina base runners across home plate.
Liberty (26-13) got a run back in the top of the third, but Carolina took that run back and added another as Mac Horvath hit a two-run home run off the scoreboard beyond the left field wall. Johnny Castagnozzi capped the offensive output with a home run to lead off the fifth inning.
Angel Zarate and Mikey Madej each collected two hits, while Horvath and Serretti drove in two runs apiece.
Max Carlson started the game for Carolina and struck out five in 3.0 innings of work, while Davis Palermo closed it for the Diamond Heels with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
Trey Gibson (3-4) took the loss, surrendering five runs on five hits in 2.0 innings pitched.
NOTABLES
• North Carolina improved to 24-6 all-time against Liberty and 20-3 versus the Flames in Chapel Hill.
• Horvath homered for the second consecutive game. It's the fourth time this season he's hit a home run in back-to-back games. Horvath homered in four straight games from April 10-16.
• Castagnozzi homered for the first time since going deep against South Carolina in Charlotte on April 6. He had gone 52 at-bats without a home run.
• Serretti extended his career-long hitting streak to 15 games, while Hunter Stokely had his eight-game hitting streak snapped.
• Seven of Carolina's nine hits were singles and the other two were home runs.
• Riemer made his third start of the season and went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Riemer singled up the middle to plate Stokely with the game's first run in the bottom of the second. Madej followed with an RBI-single and later scored on wild pitch. Zarate and Honeycutt scored on Serretti's single (UNC 5, LU 0).
• Gray Betts hit a solo home run hit a solo home run with one out in the third inning (UNC 5, LU 1).
• Horvath hit a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left-center field in the bottom of the fourth (UNC 7, LU).
• Castagnozzi led off the fifth inning with a home run (UNC 8, LU 1).
UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels will return to action on May 3 against Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Network.
Schaeffer (4-1) entered the game in the top of the fourth inning with UNC (24-17) ahead 5-1. After yielding a single to each of the first two batters he faced, promptly retired the next three in order without surrendering a run. He only faced nine batters during those three innings and the one batter he walked was erased on a double play in the fifth inning.
He retired eight in a row after the walk and was lifted following a fielding error in the eighth. Schaeffer finished the game with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched.
The Diamond Heels put five runs on the scoreboard in the second inning. Max Riemer and Mikey Madej delivered back-to-back RBI-singles to open the scoring and Madej scored from third on a wild pitch. Danny Serretti singled up the middle that pushed two Carolina base runners across home plate.
Liberty (26-13) got a run back in the top of the third, but Carolina took that run back and added another as Mac Horvath hit a two-run home run off the scoreboard beyond the left field wall. Johnny Castagnozzi capped the offensive output with a home run to lead off the fifth inning.
Angel Zarate and Mikey Madej each collected two hits, while Horvath and Serretti drove in two runs apiece.
Max Carlson started the game for Carolina and struck out five in 3.0 innings of work, while Davis Palermo closed it for the Diamond Heels with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
Trey Gibson (3-4) took the loss, surrendering five runs on five hits in 2.0 innings pitched.
NOTABLES
• North Carolina improved to 24-6 all-time against Liberty and 20-3 versus the Flames in Chapel Hill.
• Horvath homered for the second consecutive game. It's the fourth time this season he's hit a home run in back-to-back games. Horvath homered in four straight games from April 10-16.
• Castagnozzi homered for the first time since going deep against South Carolina in Charlotte on April 6. He had gone 52 at-bats without a home run.
• Serretti extended his career-long hitting streak to 15 games, while Hunter Stokely had his eight-game hitting streak snapped.
• Seven of Carolina's nine hits were singles and the other two were home runs.
• Riemer made his third start of the season and went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Riemer singled up the middle to plate Stokely with the game's first run in the bottom of the second. Madej followed with an RBI-single and later scored on wild pitch. Zarate and Honeycutt scored on Serretti's single (UNC 5, LU 0).
• Gray Betts hit a solo home run hit a solo home run with one out in the third inning (UNC 5, LU 1).
• Horvath hit a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left-center field in the bottom of the fourth (UNC 7, LU).
• Castagnozzi led off the fifth inning with a home run (UNC 8, LU 1).
UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels will return to action on May 3 against Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schaeffer, Brandon (4-1)
L: GIBSON, Trey (3-4)
Batting:
HR: BETTS, Gray 1
RBI: BETTS, Gray 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BETTS, Gray 1

Batting:
HR: Horvath, Mac 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1
RBI: Horvath, Mac 2 ; Serretti, Danny 2 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Riemer, Max 1 ; Madej, Mikey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zarate, Angel 2 ; Horvath, Mac 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Madej, Mikey 1 ; Honeycutt, Vance 1
SB: Serretti, Danny 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
Players Mentioned
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