University of North Carolina Athletics
Wednesday, May 1
Chapel Hill
6 p.m.
North Carolina
35-11
19
vs
2
William & Mary
26-19
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
William & Mary
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
5
4
North Carolina
9
1
5
4
0
0
X
19
12
1
Diamond Heels Coast Past William & Mary
May 1, 2024 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior Ben Peterson did not allow a run in a career-high 5.0 innings, and No. 12 North Carolina slugged its way past William & Mary 19-2 at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday, posting their second consecutive run-rule victory.
Jackson Van De Brake had a grand slam, Parks Harber hit a three-run homer, and Vance Honeycutt belted a solo shot for the Tar Heels, who scored their most runs since beating Wagner 20-6 on February 18. UNC (35-11) had 12 hits, including three from Honeycutt and Casey Cook, who each had two in the first inning.
"Pitching set the tone; it was all about Ben Peterson," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "He had a really good live session six or seven days ago and looked sharp. He deserved to start today. He's another big arm that can really help us down the stretch.
"Other than that, it was a complete team effort. It was fun for me to watch. Our guys came out ready to play."
Harber's three-run blast was part of a nine-run first inning. Honeycutt and Cook laced singles to start the frame before Harber left the yard for the second straight night. Six consecutive Tar Heels reached following a two-out error that resulted in six runs.
Gavin Gallaher stole home on a double steal to put the Tar Heels up 5-0 following Luke Stevenson's RBI single. Honeycutt and Harber punched an RBI single to left field, with Cook's two-run double to left-center sandwiched between them to cap the frame.
Hank Lippman (0-1) pitched one inning for William & Mary (26-19) and allowed nine runs – three earned – seven hits and one walk. The Tribe relievers surrendered 10 runs on five hits with six walks.
Peterson (1-1) struck out a career-high five batters and allowed just three hits with only one batter reaching second base.
"Coach [Bryant] Gaines and I talk a lot about commanding the off-speed [pitch] and being able to pitch off it," Peterson said. "I added a curve ball this year, and I've been throwing more two-seam [fastballs] than four-seams. That's been helpful."
Olin Johnson tossed a scoreless sixth, and Boston Flannery and Will Simmons split the seventh.
Alex Madera got on base four times – drawing three walks and reaching on an error – and scored four runs. Cook and Honeycutt plated three runs apiece.
The Tar Heels scored a run in the second, then added five runs in the third and four in the fourth.
Honeycutt hit his 18th home run of the season to lead off the third. Cook scored on a wild pitch, and Harber came home on a bases-loaded walk. Colby Wilkerson's two-run double gave UNC a 15-0 lead.
Van De Brake hit his first home run of the season with the bases loaded in the fourth, crushing an 0-1 pitch 402 feet over the left field wall for his first career grand slam.
Ben Parker drove in the Tribe's two runs in the seventh.
The Tar Heels will have six days between games, focusing on final exams. UNC will return to the diamond on Tuesday, May 7, against Campbell at Boshamer Stadium. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Follow the Diamond Heels
For the latest information on the UNC baseball team, check out GoHeels.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on UNC Athletics by downloading the GoHeels App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Jackson Van De Brake had a grand slam, Parks Harber hit a three-run homer, and Vance Honeycutt belted a solo shot for the Tar Heels, who scored their most runs since beating Wagner 20-6 on February 18. UNC (35-11) had 12 hits, including three from Honeycutt and Casey Cook, who each had two in the first inning.
"Pitching set the tone; it was all about Ben Peterson," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "He had a really good live session six or seven days ago and looked sharp. He deserved to start today. He's another big arm that can really help us down the stretch.
"Other than that, it was a complete team effort. It was fun for me to watch. Our guys came out ready to play."
Harber's three-run blast was part of a nine-run first inning. Honeycutt and Cook laced singles to start the frame before Harber left the yard for the second straight night. Six consecutive Tar Heels reached following a two-out error that resulted in six runs.
Gavin Gallaher stole home on a double steal to put the Tar Heels up 5-0 following Luke Stevenson's RBI single. Honeycutt and Harber punched an RBI single to left field, with Cook's two-run double to left-center sandwiched between them to cap the frame.
Hank Lippman (0-1) pitched one inning for William & Mary (26-19) and allowed nine runs – three earned – seven hits and one walk. The Tribe relievers surrendered 10 runs on five hits with six walks.
Peterson (1-1) struck out a career-high five batters and allowed just three hits with only one batter reaching second base.
"Coach [Bryant] Gaines and I talk a lot about commanding the off-speed [pitch] and being able to pitch off it," Peterson said. "I added a curve ball this year, and I've been throwing more two-seam [fastballs] than four-seams. That's been helpful."
Olin Johnson tossed a scoreless sixth, and Boston Flannery and Will Simmons split the seventh.
Alex Madera got on base four times – drawing three walks and reaching on an error – and scored four runs. Cook and Honeycutt plated three runs apiece.
The Tar Heels scored a run in the second, then added five runs in the third and four in the fourth.
Honeycutt hit his 18th home run of the season to lead off the third. Cook scored on a wild pitch, and Harber came home on a bases-loaded walk. Colby Wilkerson's two-run double gave UNC a 15-0 lead.
Van De Brake hit his first home run of the season with the bases loaded in the fourth, crushing an 0-1 pitch 402 feet over the left field wall for his first career grand slam.
Ben Parker drove in the Tribe's two runs in the seventh.
The Tar Heels will have six days between games, focusing on final exams. UNC will return to the diamond on Tuesday, May 7, against Campbell at Boshamer Stadium. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Follow the Diamond Heels
For the latest information on the UNC baseball team, check out GoHeels.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on UNC Athletics by downloading the GoHeels App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Peterson, Ben (1-1)
L: Lippman, Hank (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Francella, Kevin 1
RBI: Parker, Ben 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Greco, Anthony 1 ; Barnes III, Jerry 1
HBP: Rush, Christian 1 ; Barnes III, Jerry 1
Batting:
2B: Cook, Casey 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
HR: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1
RBI: Honeycutt, Vance 2 ; Cook, Casey 2 ; Harber, Parks 4 ; Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 4 ; Stevenson, Luke 2 ; Wilkerson, Colby 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Honeycutt, Vance 3 ; Cook, Casey 3 ; Harber, Parks 2 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Dix, Eliot 1 ; Madera, Alex 4 ; Gallaher, Gavin 2 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 1 ; Stevenson, Luke 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SB: Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Stevenson, Luke 1
HBP: Wilkerson, Colby 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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C
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INF
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INF
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