Cook Homers Twice In Baseball's 6-5 Win Over Wake Forest

Friday, March 29

Winston-Salem, N.C.

6 p.m.

North Carolina

23-4, 8-2

Wake Forest

17-8, 4-6

North Carolina

Wake Forest

March 29, 2024 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: UNC Athletics Communications

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Casey Cook hit two of No. 14 North Carolina's four home runs in the Tar Heels' 6-5 win over No. 11 Wake Forest at David E. Couch Ballpark on Friday, earning their seventh consecutive victory.

Parks Harber homered for the fourth consecutive game, and Colby Wilkerson connected on his first of the season. The Tar Heels (23-4, 8-2 ACC) have played nine one-run games this season and have won seven.

All four of Carolina's home runs came against Wake Forest starter Chase Burns (5-1), equaling the total number of homers he had allowed in 37.1 innings this season entering the game.

In the second, Cook hit a three-run homer off Burns, giving North Carolina a 5-1 lead after Harber homered to lead off the frame to reclaim the lead.

"We weren't going to give [Burns] extra strikes, and it's hard against a guy [that's that good]," Cook said. We wanted to try to stay in the zone and make him work because he gets guys to chase. We went to the plate aggressively, which paid off for us."

Cook took burns deep in the first inning on a 3-2 pitch for a 1-0 lead, but the Demon Deacons' Jake Reinisch tied the game in the bottom half with an RBI single.

Wake Forest (17-8, 4-6 ACC) got two runs in the second, and Reinisch made it a one-run game with a solo home run in the fifth.

Wilkerson's solo shot in the seventh gave the Tar Heels a 6-4 lead.

UNC starter Folger Boaz (3-1) earned his first ACC win, striking out five in 5 2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs.

"To be a freshman in this atmosphere and not too far away from where he's from with a lot of family here shows you how good he already is but how good he's going to be," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said.

Matthew Matthijs and Dalton Pence finished for the Tar Heels, combining for seven strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

Wilkerson and Alex Madera made consecutive two-out errors in the ninth, which loaded the bases. Jack Winnay then drew bases-loaded walk, but Pence struck Chris Katz on four pitches to preserve the win.

"I told Dalton that we weren't going to let Winnay beat us," Forbes said. "Coach [Bryant] Gaines told him not to throw Winnay a strike, but we respect him that much and think he's that good of a hitter that we were willing to take our chance against the next guy."

Burns matched a career-high by striking out 14 in 6 1/3 innings but surrendered six runs and nine hits. Zach Johnston struck out five in 2.0 innings and walked three.

The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons will resume their series Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

NOTABLE
• The Tar Heels' seven-game winning streak is their second-longest of the season. They won 11 in a row from Feb. 27 - March 13.
• UNC improved to 3-3 in true road games this season with wins at Campbell, Miami and Wake Forest.
• The Tar Heels are 3-2 against ranked opponents this season with victories against Campbell, East Carolina and Wake Forest.
• Cook recorded his second two-homer game of the season. He also homered twice against Miami on St. Patrick's Day.
• Harber homered for the fourth consecutive game. He has six home runs in the last seven games.
• Wilkerson collected his first three-hit game of the season.