Behind a team pitching effort, the No. 15 North Carolina baseball team (16-5) beat the North Carolina A&T Aggies (10-10), 6-4, on Tuesday evening at Boshamer Stadium.
What happened?
Faced with a two out bases loaded situation starting pitcher Jake Knapp gave up a single to left center field allowing two runs to score giving the Aggies a lead that would escape them once Alberto Osuna stepped up to bat. Knapp was the first of seven Tar Heel pitchers to see the mound during the course of the game.
It did not take long for the bats of the Tar Heels to heat up as leadoff hitter, junior Vance Honeycutt, smashed a solo homer over the right field fence. DH Alberto Osuna would follow Honeycutt’s lead by hitting a two run rocket over the right center fence driving in catcher Tomas Frick who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
The scoring mojo from the previous inning did not transfer over as the Tar Heels recorded a scoreless second frame. Junior Hunter Stokely walked, Honeycutt reached first on a fielder’s choice, Mac Horvath singled to center, and Jackson Van De Brake walked to bring up bases loaded. The Heels were unable to capitalize however as Frick hit into a fielder’s choice leaving three men stranded.
Stokely hit his fourth homer of the season–and fourth of the game–in the third driving in Cook, who had walked, increasing the Tar Heel lead over the Aggies.
A&T roared their head in the top of the fourth when second baseman Tre Williams homered off pitcher Will Sandy to right field.
UNC attempted to get the offensive train back on the rails in the sixth as Stokely and Wilkerson recorded singles but Horvath flew out to right field, ending the inning.
Both teams remained silent from the fifth until the eighth inning when Aggie Tre Williams doubled, off UNC pitcher Ben Peterson, to right field, scoring one and bringing A&T within one run of the Heels.
