UNC baseball team blows out Davidson Wednesday 10-3

It was another slow start for the North Carolina baseball team, but just like its last six games, it was a strong finish.

In a 10-3 victory against Davidson on Wednesday at Boshamer Stadium, the Tar Heels (8-3) scored eight of their runs from the sixth inning on, extending their winning streak to seven games and coach Mike Fox’s record against the Wildcats to 16-0.

Fox said North Carolina’s pitching was one of the keys to the win, as well as some big hits, in the difficulty of a mid-week game.

“Started off for us just a little slow, but I thought (reliever) Reilly Hovis did a great job and Trevor Kelley,” he said. “Obviously, Zach Rice was tremendous for us out of the bullpen. First start for Alex Raburn, he got a big hit to get us going. Adrian Chacon, coming off the bench, getting a big hit with the bases loaded.

“These mid-week games are tough, when it is cold, and there are not a lot of people here. We have to kind of create our own energy … Fortunately, we did.”

Sophomore Hovis pitched three innings, gave up only two hits and struck out five batters. Freshman Rice pitched 1.2 innings, ceding no hits or runs, and fanning three Wildcats.

Freshman Wood Myers, a Chapel Hill native, was a catalyst for the UNC offense Wednesday. He went 2-for-4, scoring one run and driving in another. Myers leads the team in hitting with a .390 average.

“I thought the team, we played really good baseball,” Myers said. “We had really good pitching, guys throwing a lot of strikes. And then just taking advantage of their miscues.”

One of the issues plaguing UNC is a slow offensive start. Although it prevents the Tar Heels from getting an early lead, Myers thinks it helps.

“We don’t try to start slow. It’s just something that happens,” he said. “If we start slow, I guess that gives us more motivation throughout the game.”

Junior Michael Russell, who went 2-for-5 on Wednesday and scored one run, said, somewhat facetiously, that a slow start favors the fans.

“It’s definitely making games more exciting,” Russell said. “You know, we are just here to please the fans. We are getting behind early and making it close early. We are just trying to keep people around for a while, make it more exciting. So we will keep trying to do that for a while if it keeps working.”

Russell also said pitching and defense will help the Tar Heels as they begin ACC play on Friday.

“Pitching and defense is always going to keep us in games,” he said. “Trent (Thorton), Benton (Moss), and Zac Gallen have been really good for us so far, so we are going to rely on them and play some defense behind them and hopefully scratch out enough runs, get some more wins.

“I guess that’s what these games have been for, getting ready for ACC play. We have seen some good pitching and its going to get only better once ACC play starts. I think we are ready.”

sports@dailytarheel.com