No. 15 UNC baseball slams Wagner in third game of series, 20-6, with program record 18 walks

Behind a big second inning, the No. 15 North Carolina baseball team (3-0) completed a series sweep of Wagner (0-3) with a 20-6 victory Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.

The Tar Heels tied a school record with 10 stolen bases and set a new record with 18 walks. Senior designated hitter Alberto Osuna, redshirt sophomore outfielder Casey Cook and graduate infielder Alex Madera each had three hits.

“Based on the scouting report, if [the pitcher] doesn’t fill up the zone, you have to be a little more picky,” Cook said. “You have to know what you’re looking for, and you have to be disciplined because you can get yourself out against guys that aren’t throwing a lot of strikes. I think that was our main focus.”

First-year right-handed pitcher Olin Johnson made his first career start on the mound for the Tar Heels. He retired the first two batters of the game before the Seahawks threatened with runners on first and third base and two outs. Johnson pitched out of trouble and Wagner went down without a run. 

Junior outfielder and leadoff batter Vance Honeycutt reached base after being hit by a pitch. He then stole his 50th and 51st bags of his career. Two walks loaded the bases with two outs for first-year catcher Luke Stevenson but he grounded out to first to leave three stranded. 

UNC got on the board in the bottom of the second thanks to Osuna’s second homer of the season, which traveled 383 feet out to left field and flew off the bat at 111 miles per hour.

“It was good to see [Osuna] kind of loosen up,” head coach Scott Forbes said. “Just getting that confidence back is the key with him because when he gets it going he’s a real threat to all parts of the field.

The Tar Heels then loaded the bases with two more walks. Cook drove in two with a single to center to make it 3-0. The Tar Heels batted around in the second and Osuna came back up to the plate to break the game open, driving in two more runners with a single. Madera chipped in with a two-RBI double, and North Carolina scored 10 in the second inning.

Wagner bounced back in the top of the third to score four off Johnson and end his outing. He allowed three unearned runs on five hits, striking out three in his debut. Forbes said he liked what he saw from Johnson, but the Tar Heels struggled to defend behind him in the third. UNC made five errors in the game.

The Tar Heels added two runs in the third through RBIs from Osuna and senior infielder Jackson Van De Brake, jumping out to a 12-4 lead.

Senior infielder Colby Wilkerson scored on an error in the fourth inning and Cook recorded another RBI with a two-out single in the fifth. Graduate outfielder Anthony Donofrio walked to force in Wilkerson before Van De Brake flew out to end the fifth.

Graduate catcher Parker Haskin and graduate infielder Eliot Dix pinch hit in the sixth and started another big inning for the Tar Heels with consecutive doubles. Madera singled to drive in Dix before first-year infielder Gavin Gallaher left the yard for his first career homer. 

“Every single guy in the lineup and not in the lineup, even the reserves, everybody can hit, everybody can play,” Madera said. “I think that’s going to be the biggest thing for us going forward.”

The Tar Heel bullpen was solid in relief of Johnson, allowing only two runs.

North Carolina will be back in action on Tuesday at home for a mid-week tilt against Elon. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com