Frick Strikes Gold In The 10th To Beat The 49ers

Tuesday, May 3

Chapel Hill

7 p.m.

North Carolina

25-17

Charlotte

28-17

Charlotte

North Carolina

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

May 4, 2022 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Jody Jones

CHAPEL HILL – Tomas Frick hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10^th inning to give North Carolina a 4-3 win over visiting Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday night, giving the Diamond Heels back-to-back wins for the first time since late March.

With one out in the 10^th, Johnny Castagnozzi drew a four pitch walk and was lifted in favor of pinch runner Reece Holbrook. Frick then lined the first pitch into the gap in left center for the first walk-off of his career as Holbrook slid into home plate with the game-winning run.

The Tar Heels (25-17) had taken five days off for final exams after posting an 8-1 win over Liberty on Wednesday, April 27, before returning to competition today.

Mac Horvath hit a solo home run in the first and then another in the third inning, while Charlotte's Will Butcher hit a two-run homer in the second and the game was knotted at 2-2 after three innings. It remained tied until the bottom half of the fifth inning.

Vance Honeycutt doubled with one down and moved to third on a fly ball out. Horvath followed with a two out walk to put runners at first and second. Danny Serretti smacked a 3-2 pitch into left field to plate Honeycutt.

The 49ers (28-17) responded right away. Will Fisher homered in the top half of the sixth to tie the game. The next two batters also reached, but Davis Palermo induced an inning-ending ground ball that forced Austin Knight out at second base.

Kaden Hopson, who put the ball in play, was also called out on the play for interference after running into Castagnozzi trying to make a throw to first base.

Palermo tossed 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings with two strikeouts. Gage Gillian followed with 1.1 scoreless innings but was lifted with one out and the go-ahead run at second base in the top of the 10^th. Connor Bovair (4-3) came in to relieve Gillian and struck out Butcher on three pitches before inducing a ground out to turn the Niners away.

The Tar Heels outhit Charlotte, 10-9, getting three hits from Horvath and two from Honeycutt and Alberto Osuna.

NOTABLES
• Carolina played its sixth extra innings game of the season and improved to 2-4 in those games.
• The Diamond Heels posted their fourth walk-off win of the year.
• Horvath recorded the first two homer game of his career. It was the fourth time this season a Tar Heel hit two home runs in a game (Honeycutt vs. Seton Hall, Osuna at Duke, Osuna at Louisville).
• Shawn Rapp made his NCAA-leading 32^nd appearance of the season.
• Serretti extended his career-long hitting streak to 16 games.
• Charlotte head coach Robert Woodard was ejected in the top of the sixth inning.
• The start of the game was delayed by 20 minutes due to the threat of inclement weather in the area.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Horvath hit a home run in the bottom of the first (UNC 1, CLT 0).
• Will Butcher smashed a two-run homer in the top of the second inning (CLT 2, UNC 1).
• Horvath crushed a solo homer to center field in the bottom of the third inning (UNC 2, CLT 2).
• Serretti delivered a two-out single to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning to knock Honeycutt from third base (UNC 3, CLT 2).
• Cam Fisher hit a one out solo home run in the top of the sixth (UNC 3, CLT 3).
• Frick hit a one out double in the bottom of the 10^th to plate Holbrook (UNC 4, CLT 3).

UP NEXT
The Diamond Heels return to the field this weekend against NC State at Doak Field in Raleigh. The first game of the weekend series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.