The Tar Heels clinched a series win on Saturday thanks to a blowout fifth inning that pushed them to a 12-3 victory against Wake Forest.
What happened?
After the original 2 p.m. game was rescheduled for 5:30 p.m., the Diamond Heels started off their evening by holding the Demon Deacons without a run in the first inning.
After an uneventful second inning and top of the third inning, where North Carolina pitcher Brandon Schaeffer allowed no runs, sophomore Mac Horvath scored the first run of the night for the Tar Heels in the bottom of the third with a deep homer to right center to bring UNC to a 1-0 lead. After this, junior shortstop Danny Serretti and first-year center fielder Vance Honeycutt both walked, and a multitude of wild pitches and passed balls eventually brought Serretti home to earn a second run for UNC.
Wake Forest responded with a two-run homer in the fourth inning behind the bat of redshirt sophomore Pierce Bennett.
In the fifth inning, which was nearly 45 minutes long, Wake Forest went through five different pitchers and allowed the Tar Heels 10 runs behind seven hits. This brought UNC up to 12 runs on the game, for a final score of 12-3.
Who stood out?
First-year standout Honeycutt’s fielding ability was on full display in Saturday’s matchup, as he recorded three putouts in center field, and showed agility in the outfield that was lacking at times in Wake Forest’s defense.
Schaeffer also had an impressive 7.1 innings pitched before stepping off the mound, holding Wake Forest to three runs on the game and recording five strikeouts.
