UNC baseball stomps South Carolina in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — A pitching duel between two longtime rivals quickly turned into an interstate beatdown.

In its most impressive win of the season, No. 13 North Carolina (24-9) embarrassed No. 7 South Carolina (28-6) on Wednesday, seizing control in the fourth inning to secure a 15-0 win in a neutral-site nonconference showdown at BB&T BallPark.

Through three innings, it seemed as though the former ACC foes were in for a scoring struggle in Charlotte.

Heading into the fourth frame, the Tar Heels hadn't reached base and the Gamecocks had just one hit of their own.

But with two outs and the bases loaded, senior Eli Sutherland — third on the team in RBIs — drilled a double to deep center field to net three runs on UNC's first hit of the night.

The scoring onslaught continued in the fifth inning, as Tyler Ramirez and Brandon Riley joined the hitting party to post another three-run inning for North Carolina.

Four more Tar Heels notched run-scoring hits in the seventh inning, before a ninth-inning triple and a wild pitch capped off the scoring onslaught.

On the mound, Hunter Williams followed up a career performance on April 5 with a worthy encore. The sophomore left-hander threw a career-high 6 1/3 inning and allowed six hits with no runs.

Quotable

"We've got that chip on our shoulder, 'Who's the real Carolina.' So it's nice to come out here and not just win but make a statement, especially after the couple weeks we've had." — Ramirez, whose two-run double in the fifth inning handed North Carolina a commanding 5-0 lead.

Notable

South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach for UNC before joining the Gamecocks' coaching staff in 2012. He also played four seasons in Chapel Hill, finishing second in school history in career stolen bases and sixth in career hits.

Three numbers that matter

12: The Tar Heels and Gamecocks hadn't faced off in the regular season in 12 years, when South Carolina claimed a 9-4 win. The two teams also met in the Super Regional in 2007 and 2013, with UNC winning each series in three games to advance to the College World Series.

6: With his three-run hit in the fourth inning, Sutherland recorded his sixth double of the season. The senior totaled just six doubles during the entire 2015 season.

2: North Carolina scored 11 of its 15 runs with two outs. Sutherland's bases-clearing double kicked off the action in the fourth inning, and a wild pitch in the ninth inning brought home Kyle Datres for UNC's 15th and final run.

What's next?

The Tar Heels hit the road for a three-game series with Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. The first game starts at 6 p.m. on Friday.

@CJacksonCowart

sports@dailytarheel.com