Baseball Opens Five-Game Homestand With Two Midweek Games

Tuesday, May 10

Chapel Hill

6 p.m.

North Carolina

Gardner-Webb

May 9, 2022 | Baseball

By: Jody Jones

CHAPEL HILL – The Diamond Heels host a pair of Big South opponents on Tuesday and Wednesday night to open a five-game homestand that concludes with a three-game ACC series against Wake Forest over the weekend.

Carolina will entertain Gardner-Webb on Tuesday before welcoming Charleston Southern to Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts and will both be streamed on the ACCNX.

UNC and Gardner-Webb last met in 2020 with the Diamond Heels posting a 13-6 victory. Angel Zarate went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs in the game. Mikey Madej drove in two runs and Danny Serretti scored a pair of runs. Nik Pry earned the win and Gage Gillian claimed the save with each pitching 3.0 innings.

Carolina has won 15 of 17 all-time games in the series since it originated in 2004.

The Heels have only faced Charleston Southern once previously, posting a 7-6 win at Boshamer Stadium in 2019, courtesy of Brandon Martorano's bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Pitching Matchups

	Gardner-Webb \| Tuesday \| 6 p.m. (ACCNX)	Charleston Southern \| Wednesday \| 6 p.m. (ACCNX)
Opponent	RHP Gabe Pilla (0-1, 7.98)	LHP Hector Candelas (0-0, 11.25 ERA)
North Carolina	LHP Shawn Rapp (2-0, 3.98)	RHP Shaddon Peavyhouse (3-3, 5.00 ERA)
Links	WATCH \| LISTEN \| STATS	WATCH \| LISTEN \| STATS

LAST TIME OUT
Alberto Osuna hit a two-run home run in the top of eighth inning and Davis Palermo struck out the side in the ninth to give the Heels a 7-6 win over NC State at Doak Field in Raleigh on Sunday. UNC rallied from a 4-2 deficit at the end of two innings to win its first series against the Wolfpack in 2018. The relief pitching trio of Gage Gillian, Connor Bovair and Palermo held NC State to two runs and five hits in the final 7.1 innings after the Pack collected four runs on four hits in the first 1.1 innings. Vance Honeycutt went 2-of-3 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.

LAST AT BAT WINS
The Diamond Heels scored the game-winning run in their final at-bat in two of their last three wins. Tomas Frick hit a walk-off double against Charlotte in the 10th inning on May 3 and Mac Horvath lifted a sacrifice fly that plated the winning run in the top of the ninth against NC State on Saturday. Reece Holbrook was the base runner in both instances.

SERRETTI ENTERS UNC TOP 10 FOR CAREER DOUBLES
Serretti became the 10th player in school history to hit 50 career doubles Sunday against NC State. Serretti doubled twice during the doubleheader to move into ninth place on the school's all-time list with 51. He ranks 25th among all active NCAA Division I players and third among active ACC players (Jeff Wehler, Pittsburgh, 54; Rafe Chaumette, Boston College, 53).

10-10
Honeycutt and junior Mac Horvath and are two of four players in the ACC with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Honeycutt and Horvath and have each hit 12 home runs this season and rank second and fifth in the conference in stolen bases with 23 and 16, respectively. Honeycutt hit two home runs over the weekend against NC State, while Horvath swiped a pair of bases.

MAC ATTACK
Horvath has hit safely in each of the last nine games, batting .382 (13x34) with 12 runs scored and nine RBIs during the streak. He is slugging .853 with four doubles and four home runs as a part of his current hitting streak.

HOMESCHOOLED
The Diamond Heels are 17-1 at Boshamer Stadium against non-conference opponents this season. UNC won its first 14 games outside the ACC at home before sustaining the first blemish on its schedule. Carolina has posted consecutive wins over Campbell, Liberty, and Charlotte since losing its first non-conference home game.