University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
3-0
Wagner
0-3
Baseball Finishes Off Sweep Of Wagner, 20-6
February 18, 2024 | Baseball
The offense continued its hot start as the Tar Heels (3-0) plated 10 runs in the second inning and four in the sixth, batting around the order in both frames.
Casey Cook, Alberto Osuna, and Alex Madera anchored the offense, collecting three hits each. Osuna, who homered in his first at-bat, led the Tar Heels with four RBIs, while Cook and Madera each had three.
On the base paths, the Tar Heels tied the school record for stolen bases in a game with 10. Cook, Vance Honeycutt, Anthony Donofrio, and Jackson Van De Brake stole two bags each.
The Diamond Heels also drew 18 base on balls to set a school record. Donfrio was walked four times, Van De Brake three, and Luke Stevenson twice. The Seahawks (0-3) issued seven of the nine starters at least one walk.
Carolina provided a barrage of offense in the second inning, plating 10 runs. Alberto Osuna had three RBIs in the inning, hitting a 383-foot home run to lead off the frame and delivering a two-run single. Madera, who also had two hits in the inning, drove home two runs with a double, as did Cook with a base hit to center field.
The Tar Heels scored nine runs across the next four innings, getting two in the third and fifth frames, one in the fourth, and four in the sixth.
Van De Brake singled, and Osuna lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in the two third inning runs. Colby Wilkerson scored the lone run of the fourth on an errant throw. Another RBI-single from Cook and a bases loaded walk to Donofrio accounted for the fifth inning scoring.
Freshman Gavin Gallaher homered for the first time as Tar Heel in the sixth to plate a pair of runs. Pinch-hitter Eliot Dix came off the bench, laced an RBI-double into the left field corner, and scored on single by Madera.
The Tar Heels used seven pitchers, with sophomore Kyle Percival (1-0) earning the win, retiring all four men he faced. Freshmen Olin Johnson, Boston Flannery, and Francesco Cappoci made their UNC debuts, as did transfers Ryan Fischer and Shea Sprague.
Carolina returns to Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to take on Elon. The game is slated for a 4 p.m. start.
NOTABLES:
• UNC scored 46 runs (10, 16, 20) in the three-game series against Wagner for their most offensive opening three-game stretch since 1899. It is the third time this millennium the Tar Heels have scored 40 runs in their opening three games (43 in 2003, 40 in 2022).
• Carolina scored 20 runs for the first time since the 2021 season when it put 21 runs on board against Duke (4/12/21).
• UNC's 10 stolen bases tied the school record set against Maine nearly 30 years ago (3/16/95).
• The Tar Heels scored 10 runs in an inning for the first time since scoring 10 versus Wake Forest two years ago (5th inning, 5/14/22).
• North Carolina swept its season-opening weekend series for the fifth time in six years and the third time in four years under coach Scott Forbes.
• Carolina improved to 16-0 in the season-opening series at Boshamer Stadium since it reopened in 2009.
• Vance Honeycutt stole the 50th and 51st bases of his career. He is one home run shy of becoming the second 40-50 player in school history.
• Osuna homered for the second straight game, giving him consecutive home run games for the eighth time in his career.
• Percival recorded his first win since March 7, 2022, against Western Carolina to improve to 3-0 in his UNC career.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Percival, Kyle (1-0)
L: TAUDIN-CHABOT, J (0-1)
Batting:
2B: PHELPS, Bryce 1
RBI: TORRES, Lukas 1 ; MELFI, David 1 ; MATTHEWS, Mateo 1 ; KENT, Zack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SERRANO, Albert 1 ; TORRES, Lukas 1 ; MELFI, David 1 ; KNIGHT, Christian 1 ; MATTHEWS, Mateo 1 ; MARTINEZ, Henry 1
Batting:
2B: Haskin, Parker 1 ; Dix, Eliot 1 ; Madera, Alex 1
HR: Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Gallaher, Gavin 1
RBI: Cook, Casey 3 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Stevenson, Luke 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 4 ; Dix, Eliot 1 ; Madera, Alex 3 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1 ; Gallaher, Gavin 2
SF: Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Cook, Casey 2 ; Alvarez, Patrick 1 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1 ; Stevenson, Luke 1 ; Haskin, Parker 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 3 ; Dix, Eliot 1 ; Madera, Alex 3 ; Wilkerson, Colby 3 ; Gallaher, Gavin 1
SB: Honeycutt, Vance 2 ; Cook, Casey 2 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 2 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 2 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
HBP: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1
