University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
11-3
Penn State
7-4
Frick Propels BSB To Lopsided Win Over Penn State
March 8, 2023 | Baseball
Frick drove in a career-high six runs and Hunter Stokely hit a three-run homer, helping North Carolina (11-3) match its season-high for runs and hits (14). Five of the nine starting position players got at least one hit and drove in a run.
Frick, Stokely and Alberto Osuna each collected three hits as threesome combined to go 9-for-12 with eight runs and nine RBIs.
"I thought we did a good job top to bottom of not giving at-bats aways," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "The name of the game is what do you do when runners are on base and that's what we want to be good at, and they did a good job today."
The Tar Heels went 8-for-19 (.421) with runners on base and 6-of-15 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
Frick's fifth home run gave helped UNC build a 2-0 lead in the first. Penn State (7-4) took the lead in the third when Thomas Bramley scored on a wild pitch after Jay Harry scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly.
Will Sandy worked a one-two-three first inning before being lifted in favor of Matt Poston after the Nittany Lions tied the game.
"Will was much better," Forbes said. "It was a matchup decision on our part. When we made that change the left was hitting .460 off left-handed pitchers and Poston had been good against left-handers, and we felt like that was a big moment.
"I was proud of Will because he attacked and got a one-two-three-inning, and with our bullpen being fresh and those guys needing to pitch we needed to go ahead and make that change."
The Tar Heels poured it across the middle innings, scoring 11 runs across the fourth, fifth and sixth. Stokely, Casey Cook, Patrick Alvarez and Vance Honeycutt each had RBI hits in the fourth before Frick cleared the bases with his second career grand slam. Mac Horvath drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and Stokely went deep in the sixth.
Reece Holbrook and Colby Wilkerson each drove in a run in the eighth.
The Tar Heels used five pitchers out of the bullpen and surrender only a single run, while striking out nine in 7.1 innings pitched. Freshman Matthew Matthijs fanned five of the seven batters he faced. Nelson Berkwich (1-0) earned the victory, pitching 1.2 innings of relief.
Billy Gerlott homered in the fifth and had an RBI-single in the seventh for Penn State, who is in the final stages of an 11-game stretch in the Triangle. Steven Miller (1-2) pitcher 3.1 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits.
The Tar Heels return to the field Friday, March 10, as they open ACC play against No. 17 Virginia. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Boshamer Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Berkwich, Nelson (1-0)
L: Miller, Steven (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Hannon, Kyle 1 ; Kelley, Tayven 1 ; Harry, Jay 1
HR: Gerlott, Billy 1
RBI: Gerlott, Billy 2 ; Bramley, Thomas 1 ; Marsh, Bobby 1
SF: Marsh, Bobby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hannon, Kyle 1 ; Gerlott, Billy 1 ; Kelley, Tayven 1 ; Harry, Jay 1 ; Bramley, Thomas 1
Batting:
2B: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1
HR: Frick, Tomas 2 ; Stokely, Hunter 1
RBI: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Horvath, Mac 1 ; Frick, Tomas 6 ; Stokely, Hunter 3 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Alvarez, Patrick 1 ; Holbrook, Reece 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SF: Horvath, Mac 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Horvath, Mac 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 2 ; Frick, Tomas 3 ; Osuna, Alberto 3 ; Stokely, Hunter 2 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Alvarez, Patrick 1
SB: Honeycutt, Vance 1
HBP: Horvath, Mac 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Cook, Casey 1
