University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
27-16, 10-11
Virginia Tech
25-15, 11-11
Diamond Heels Use Eight-Run Fourth To Beat Virginia Tech
April 29, 2023 | Baseball
Horvath hit his second career grand slam and first since May 10, 2022, against Gardner-Webb. His seven RBIs were his second-most this week after driving in eight versus UNCW on Tuesday night.
Horvath has 18 home runs this season, matching his career-high from a year ago.
The Tar Heels scored eight runs in the fourth inning – all with two outs – highlighted by Horvath's three-run drive. UNC collected five hits and drew five walks as part of its highest run-scoring frame of the season. Hunter Stokely and Colby Wilkerson scored on a wild pitch, Reece Holbrook had a two-run single, and Jackson Van De Brake earned a bases loaded walk.
Virginia Tech scored three runs in the first, but Horvath put the Tar Heels ahead to stay in the third with a grand slam.
The Hokies brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Matt Poston struck out Gehrig Ebel to end the game.
Dalton Pence struck out a career-high five in 3.0 innings, while Max Carlson (3-1) earned the win with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings, and Poston recorded his third save.
Hokies' starter Drue Hackenburg (4-5) surrendered eight runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Tar Heels improved to 15-0 when scoring 10 or more runs and recorded their third consecutive come-from-behind victory, ending a four-game ACC losing streak in the process.
Casey Cook singled in the first for a 32-game on-base streak – the second-longest streak by a UNC freshman behind Colin Moran's 37-game streak in 2011 – and Vance Honeycutt walked to extend his on-base streak to 28 games.
Game two of the doubleheader is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Carlson, Max (3-1)
L: Drue Hackenberg (4-5)
S: Poston, Matt (3)
Batting:
2B: Horvath, Mac 1
HR: Horvath, Mac 2
RBI: Van De Brake, Jackson 1 ; Horvath, Mac 7 ; Holbrook, Reece 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 2 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Horvath, Mac 2 ; Stokely, Hunter 1 ; Frick, Tomas 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Holbrook, Reece 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 2
SB: Holbrook, Reece 1
HBP: Wilkerson, Colby 1
Batting:
2B: Chris Cannizzaro 1 ; Gehrig Ebel 1 ; Eduardo Malinowski 1
RBI: Carson DeMartini 3 ; Brody Donay 1 ; Gehrig Ebel 1 ; Christian Martin 1 ; Eduardo Malinowski 1 ; Sam Tackett 1
SH: Christian Martin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Carson Jones 1 ; Chris Sparber 1 ; Chris Cannizzaro 1 ; Carson DeMartini 1 ; Garrett Michel 1 ; Gehrig Ebel 1 ; Eduardo Malinowski 1 ; Henry Cooke 1
SB: Carson DeMartini 1 ; David Bryant 1
