UNC Baseball Recaps - Week 7

Tar Heel Blog is back at with the Diamond Heels after an eventful week on the hardwoods. The UNC baseball team sits in the top five in most of the polls, and are still leading the Coastal Division in the ACC. Here is a recap of scores since the last update prior to the Final Four:

In the opener against Miami, J.B. Bukauskas threw seven shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just three hits. The Tar Heel offense built a seven run lead, with right fielder Brandon Riley knocking in two RBI.

On the second day of the series, the Tar Heel offense was led by Riley and catcher Cody Roberts., who each hit a home run. Starter Luca Dalatri was pulled after just over innings of work. Reliever Brett Daniels earned the win for the Heels.

UNC was overpowered in the finale of the series. The Hurricanes built a 6-0 lead before the Tar Heels got on the board in the bottom of the seventh via two RBI singles, but could not muster any more runs that day.

The freshman righty Tyler Baum got the start against the defending National Champion Coastal Carolina. The game was tied at two through the sixth. The Tar Heels doubled their score in the bottom of the sixth, but the Chanticleers continued to fight through the late innings. Their three-run ninth was not enough, and the Tar Heels squeaked out a 7-6 victory.

In the series opener at Florida State, UNC ace Bukauskas struck out ten Seminoles in seven innings of work. Center fielder Brian Miller and designated hitter Ashton McGee homered for the Heels. Josh Hiatt earned his tenth save on the year.

Late inning heroics allowed the Heels to take the second game of the series in extra innings. Down 2-0 in the top of the ninth, Brandon Riley hit a sacrifice fly to get Carolina on the board. Michael Busch, pinch hitting, drove an RBI single to tie the game. The Heels put three on the board in the top of the eleventh and that was enough to earn the victory.

Once again, late inning offense powered the Heels to a series sweep of Florida State. Busch pinch hit for Carolina and made the most of his opportunity. Tied at seven in the top of the ninth with two outs, Busch hit a two-run tater that sealed the victory for Carolina. Baum, working in relief, earned his fourth win of the season.

Carolina hosted East Carolina and survived a tight game against the Pirates. ECU tied the game at two in the top of the seventh and the game went to extras. The Pirates got into a jam in the bottom of the eleventh and loaded the bases. A McGee walk-off single capped off a five-game winning streak for UNC.

Through the ECU game, shortstop Logan Warmoth continues to lead the Tar Heels in batting average, hitting .331 on the season. He also leads the team in home runs (5), extra base hits (14), total bases (65), runs (26), stolen bases (15), and slugging percentage (.551). Right fielder Brandon Riley leads the squad in RBIs (23). Kyle Datres holds the honor of being hit by the most pitches in the ACC (12).

Bukauskas continues to set the pace for the team and the ACC with a 0.96 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He is holding batters to just a .151 batting average, good for the second in the conference. Closer Josh Hiatt leads the ACC with ten saves.

Here is the UNC baseball schedule for the weekend and week: