University of North Carolina Athletics
Wednesday, March 15
Chapel Hill, N.C.
4 p.m.
North Carolina
14-5
16
vs
2
High Point
6-10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
High Point
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
5
2
North Carolina
1
4
3
0
2
0
6
0
X
16
17
2
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Diamond Heels' Bats Stay Hot In Win Over High Point
March 15, 2023 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Fifth-year senior Will Sandy earned his first win of the season, and No. 18 North Carolina belted three home runs to defeat High Point 16-2 at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday, one day after scoring 16 runs on the road in a 13-run victory at Charlotte.
Sandy (1-0) struck out five in 2.2 innings of relief after entering the game with the two on and one out in the third inning. He walked the first man he faced, but then induced a ground ball out – which plated a run – and struck out Jack Pokorak to end the inning. The one run he allowed was on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Melton in the fourth.
Vance Honeycutt got UNC (14-5) out to an early lead, homering against Sean Duffy (0-2) to lead off the bottom of the first. Honeycutt drove home another run in the second with a sacrifice fly after Johnny Castagnozzi and Reece Holbrook each collected an RBI single as part of a four-run frame.
Catagnozzi went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, and Holbrook recorded the first multi-hit game of his career, collecting two hits, driving in one and scoring twice.
"That was a really good sight for me," Holbrook said. "Being a pinch hitter for most of my career and having one at bat was tough. I've always thought the more at bats you get, the more comfortable you get and that was the case tonight, getting four at bats. It feels good to get that first multi-hit game."
Honeycutt, Jackson Van De Brake and Tomas Frick also had two hits each as the Tar Heels pounded out 17 base knocks for the second straight game.
Alberto Osuna hit a two-run home run in the fifth and Hunter Stokely launched a pinch-hit three-run shot as part of a six-run seventh inning.
"We've got a lot of depth on this team," Honeycutt said. "There are a lot of guys that aren't in the lineup that can be in the lineup and can-do damage. Our approach is good right now and guys are having good [at bats]."
The Tar Heels ranked among the top 10 nationally in total home runs entering the game with 36 and are on pace to set a school record.
"It's a credit to our strength coach Greg Gatz, who has been here from the day we walked in," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "Our guys get noticeably bigger and stronger every year.
"Coach Wierzbicki spends a lot of time with our guys about getting their A swing off. We're trying to drive the baseball, one through nine. We don't want to be happy with singles, we want extra base hits."
Honeycutt, Osuna and Stokely each drove in three runs.
The Tar Heels used five pitchers to strikeout 10 batters to earn their third straight victory. Dalton Pence fanned three in 2.0 innings pitched and Carson Starnes struck out a pair of batters in the ninth.
North Carolina returns to ACC play this weekend on the road against Coastal Division foe Pittsburgh. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday, March 17, at 3 p.m.
Sandy (1-0) struck out five in 2.2 innings of relief after entering the game with the two on and one out in the third inning. He walked the first man he faced, but then induced a ground ball out – which plated a run – and struck out Jack Pokorak to end the inning. The one run he allowed was on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Melton in the fourth.
Vance Honeycutt got UNC (14-5) out to an early lead, homering against Sean Duffy (0-2) to lead off the bottom of the first. Honeycutt drove home another run in the second with a sacrifice fly after Johnny Castagnozzi and Reece Holbrook each collected an RBI single as part of a four-run frame.
Catagnozzi went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, and Holbrook recorded the first multi-hit game of his career, collecting two hits, driving in one and scoring twice.
"That was a really good sight for me," Holbrook said. "Being a pinch hitter for most of my career and having one at bat was tough. I've always thought the more at bats you get, the more comfortable you get and that was the case tonight, getting four at bats. It feels good to get that first multi-hit game."
Honeycutt, Jackson Van De Brake and Tomas Frick also had two hits each as the Tar Heels pounded out 17 base knocks for the second straight game.
Alberto Osuna hit a two-run home run in the fifth and Hunter Stokely launched a pinch-hit three-run shot as part of a six-run seventh inning.
"We've got a lot of depth on this team," Honeycutt said. "There are a lot of guys that aren't in the lineup that can be in the lineup and can-do damage. Our approach is good right now and guys are having good [at bats]."
The Tar Heels ranked among the top 10 nationally in total home runs entering the game with 36 and are on pace to set a school record.
"It's a credit to our strength coach Greg Gatz, who has been here from the day we walked in," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "Our guys get noticeably bigger and stronger every year.
"Coach Wierzbicki spends a lot of time with our guys about getting their A swing off. We're trying to drive the baseball, one through nine. We don't want to be happy with singles, we want extra base hits."
Honeycutt, Osuna and Stokely each drove in three runs.
The Tar Heels used five pitchers to strikeout 10 batters to earn their third straight victory. Dalton Pence fanned three in 2.0 innings pitched and Carson Starnes struck out a pair of batters in the ninth.
North Carolina returns to ACC play this weekend on the road against Coastal Division foe Pittsburgh. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday, March 17, at 3 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sandy, Will (1-0)
L: DUFFY, Sean (0-2)
Batting:
2B: KLINGLER, Charlie 1
RBI: STUART, Adam 1 ; MELTON, Jackson 1
SF: MELTON, Jackson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: AHALT, Brett 1 ; KLINGLER, Charlie 1
CS: AHALT, Brett 1
Batting:
2B: Frick, Tomas 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1
HR: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1
RBI: Honeycutt, Vance 3 ; Stokely, Hunter 3 ; Osuna, Alberto 3 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Blaser, Bryce 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 2 ; Holbrook, Reece 1
SH: Osuna, Alberto 1
SF: Honeycutt, Vance 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; French, Carter 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1 ; Hawke, Austin 1 ; Frick, Tomas 2 ; Grintz, Eric 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 3 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Holbrook, Reece 2 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SB: Horvath, Mac 1 ; Holbrook, Reece 1
HBP: Hawke, Austin 1
Game Leaders
1b/3b
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
1B/DH
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B
/ BaseballINF
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