Baseball Home Winning Streak Snapped By Coastal Carolina

Tuesday, April 16

Chapel Hill

6 p.m.

North Carolina

29-8

Coastal Carolina

25-11

Coastal Carolina

North Carolina

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

April 16, 2024 | Baseball

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By: UNC Athletics Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Zack Beach drove in the game-winning run with a base hit to right in the top of the ninth to give No. 19 Coastal Carolina a 5-4 win over No. 11 North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday, ending the Tar Heels' 27-game home winning streak.

Caden Bodine drew a four-pitch walk from UNC reliever Matt Poston to lead off the ninth. Pinch-runner Sebastian Alexander took second on a deep fly ball to center and scored the winning run on Beach's hit.

Carolina (29-8) rallied from a four-run deficit in the second inning to tie the game in the eighth on a pinch-hit single up the middle by Gavin Gallaher. The Tar Heels loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth and had a chance to walk it off, but Trevor Hinkel struck out Parker Haskin to end the game.

"I felt like Haskin looked really good in the box," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "In my heart, I was like, man, he's going to get a hit right here."

UNC scored its first three runs on solo home runs, two by Vance Honeycutt and another by Alberto Osuna.

Honeycutt got the Tar Heels on the board in the third, belting his 50th career home run and becoming the first player in ACC history with 50 home runs and 60 stolen bases.

He is the third member of the conference's exclusive 50-50 club, joining Florida State's JD Drew and Clemson's Khalil Greene.

"It's a cool accomplishment," Honeycutt said. "Wish it could have been done on a win, but I guess it just kind of speaks to the gifts I was given."

Honeycutt made it a one-run game in the seventh after Osuna hit his 10th home run of the season in the sixth to cut UNC's deficit to 4-2.

The Chanticleers (25-11) scored their first four runs with two outs in the second. A 3-2 pitch hit Chad Born, and Jake Books drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Dean Mihos delivered a two-run single, and Sam Antonacci drove in the third run with a base hit to right.

Antonacci got caught in a rundown, but Mihos scored from third base before Antonacci was tagged out to give Coastal Carolina a 4-0 lead.

Despite surrendering the tying run, Dominick Carbone (5-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings. Hinkel recorded his first save.

UNC freshman starter Olin Johnson allowed four runs, four hits, and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Dalton Pence struck out three in 2 1/3 innings, and Kyle Percival fanned four in three innings.

The Tar Heels return to the diamond Thursday, April 18, in game one of a three-game ACC series at NC State. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.