University of North Carolina Athletics
Tuesday, March 12
Chapel Hill
6 p.m.
North Carolina
15-2
13
vs
7
Rutgers
10-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Rutgers
4
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
7
9
0
North Carolina
3
0
0
1
1
0
3
5
X
13
17
3
Baseball Rallies Past Rutgers For 10th Straight Win
March 12, 2024 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Casey Cook laced a two-out, two-run double to right-center field in the seventh to break a 6-6 tie, and No. 15 North Carolina rallied from an early four-run deficit to win its 10th straight game, 13-7, over Rutgers on Tuesday.
Colby Wilkerson, Gavin Gallaher, and Vance Honeycutt each drove in a run in the Tar Heels' five-run eighth, which was capped by another two-run hit from Cook.
Cook finished 4-for-6 with a career-high six RBIs and has driven in 12 runs in the last three games. Vance Honeycutt finished 4-of-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Six Tar Heels drove in at least one run.
"We got down 4-0, but our guys came right back and scored three," UNC head coach Scott Forbes explained. "We preach a lot about being in the moment and flushing it, good or bad."
Rutgers (10-5) scored four runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of two UNC errors. Pete Durocher delivered a two-run single, Josh Kuroda-Grauer swiped home on a double steal, and Ty Douchette plated Durcoher with a hit through the right side.
Cook, Anthony Donofrio and Parks Harber drove in a run in the bottom of the first, and North Carolina (15-2) began to mount its comeback.
Honeycutt singled with two outs in the fourth and then promptly stole second base to move into scoring position for Cook, who drove him home to tie the game with a base hit to right.
"Every time he gets on first, he's on second for me," Cook said. "It gives me fits sometimes when he's at first because pitchers want to go quick. It seems he's always taking second base when I'm up."
Carolina took the lead in the fifth on a base hit up the middle by Wilkerson, scoring Jackson Van De Brake, who reached with a one-out, pinch-hit double.
The Scarlet Knights tied the game in the sixth and retook the lead on Johnny Volpe's RBI single in the seventh.
Rutgers scratched its final run across in the ninth.
Sophomore Matthew Matthijs (7-0) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two. Joe Mazza took the loss (0-1), surrendering all three of the Tar Heels' runs in the seventh.
The Tar Heels and Scarlet Knights will wrap up their two-game set Wednesday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium beginning at 4 p.m. Freshman Olin Johnson will make his third start for UNC and will be opposed by Rutgers' sophomore Christian Coppola.
NOTABLES:
• The Tar Heels won their 18th consecutive game at Boshamer Stadium, its longest streak since winning a program record 26 straight home games from March 30, 2017 – Feb. 26, 2018.
• Carolina's 10 straight wins are the most since winning 11 in a row during the 2017 season.
• North Carolina improved to 12-3 all-time against Rutgers and 10-2 at Boshamer Stadium.
• Honeycutt extended his on-base streak to 52 consecutive games.
• Honeycutt stole the 59th and 60th bases of his career.
• Cook recorded his second four-hit game of the season and third of his career.
• Alberto Osuna had his consecutive games with an RBI streak snapped at nine.
• UNC scored double-digit runs for the eighth time in 17 games.
Colby Wilkerson, Gavin Gallaher, and Vance Honeycutt each drove in a run in the Tar Heels' five-run eighth, which was capped by another two-run hit from Cook.
Cook finished 4-for-6 with a career-high six RBIs and has driven in 12 runs in the last three games. Vance Honeycutt finished 4-of-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Six Tar Heels drove in at least one run.
"We got down 4-0, but our guys came right back and scored three," UNC head coach Scott Forbes explained. "We preach a lot about being in the moment and flushing it, good or bad."
Rutgers (10-5) scored four runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of two UNC errors. Pete Durocher delivered a two-run single, Josh Kuroda-Grauer swiped home on a double steal, and Ty Douchette plated Durcoher with a hit through the right side.
Cook, Anthony Donofrio and Parks Harber drove in a run in the bottom of the first, and North Carolina (15-2) began to mount its comeback.
Honeycutt singled with two outs in the fourth and then promptly stole second base to move into scoring position for Cook, who drove him home to tie the game with a base hit to right.
"Every time he gets on first, he's on second for me," Cook said. "It gives me fits sometimes when he's at first because pitchers want to go quick. It seems he's always taking second base when I'm up."
Carolina took the lead in the fifth on a base hit up the middle by Wilkerson, scoring Jackson Van De Brake, who reached with a one-out, pinch-hit double.
The Scarlet Knights tied the game in the sixth and retook the lead on Johnny Volpe's RBI single in the seventh.
Rutgers scratched its final run across in the ninth.
Sophomore Matthew Matthijs (7-0) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out two. Joe Mazza took the loss (0-1), surrendering all three of the Tar Heels' runs in the seventh.
The Tar Heels and Scarlet Knights will wrap up their two-game set Wednesday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium beginning at 4 p.m. Freshman Olin Johnson will make his third start for UNC and will be opposed by Rutgers' sophomore Christian Coppola.
NOTABLES:
• The Tar Heels won their 18th consecutive game at Boshamer Stadium, its longest streak since winning a program record 26 straight home games from March 30, 2017 – Feb. 26, 2018.
• Carolina's 10 straight wins are the most since winning 11 in a row during the 2017 season.
• North Carolina improved to 12-3 all-time against Rutgers and 10-2 at Boshamer Stadium.
• Honeycutt extended his on-base streak to 52 consecutive games.
• Honeycutt stole the 59th and 60th bases of his career.
• Cook recorded his second four-hit game of the season and third of his career.
• Alberto Osuna had his consecutive games with an RBI streak snapped at nine.
• UNC scored double-digit runs for the eighth time in 17 games.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Matthijs, Matthew (7-0)
L: Joe Mazza (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Trevor Cohen 1 ; Pete Durocher 2 ; Ty Doucette 1 ; Johnny Volpe 2
SH: Cameron Love 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Trevor Cohen 1 ; Tony Santa Maria 1 ; Josh Kuroda-Grauer 1 ; Pete Durocher 2 ; Ty Doucette 1 ; Johnny Volpe 1
SB: Josh Kuroda-Grauer 1 ; Pete Durocher 1
HBP: Tony Santa Maria 1
Batting:
2B: Honeycutt, Vance 2 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1
RBI: Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Honeycutt, Vance 2 ; Cook, Casey 6 ; Donofrio, Anthony 1 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 2
SF: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gallaher, Gavin 2 ; Honeycutt, Vance 3 ; Cook, Casey 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Stevenson, Luke 2 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 2 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SB: Honeycutt, Vance 2
HBP: Stevenson, Luke 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
3
H
4
RBI
2
AB
6
R
1
H
4
RBI
6
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
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OF
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INF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
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RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball1B/DH
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INF
/ Baseball
INF
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