All they needed was one inning.
The No. 13 North Carolina baseball team scored five of their eight runs in the first inning during the Tar Heels' 8-1 win over High Point on a chilly Tuesday night in Boshamer Stadium.
The victory was much needed after UNC (21-7) suffered three consecutive losses over the weekend to No. 2 Miami.
North Carolina used a patient approach at the plate all evening, drawing 12 walks — including three consecutive walks in the first inning to score two Tar Heels.
After the first inning, UNC’s offense cooled down. But the pitching heated up.
Starter Hunter Williams, a powerful lefty from Mosley, Va., pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed just one run on two hits. The sophomore racked up seven strikeouts in his 96 pitches, as he consistently overpowered the Panthers (20-9) with his fastball.
Once Williams exited, the combination of Spencer Trayner, Taylor Sugg and Cole Aker struck out seven batters and did not allow a run through the remaining 4 1/3 innings. Coach Mike Fox singled out Sugg, a first-year from Greensboro, as a standout performer in his two perfect innings.
Quotable
“I thought this was a huge challenge for us. Coming off a loss, last night basketball — I mean, that’s a bummer for everyone. We’re all just heartbroken. Very little atmosphere here. It's cold. We had a lot of things working against us.” — Fox on the team's mentality entering Tuesday's game.
