Tar Heels Sweep Miami In Doubleheader

CHAPEL HILL, N.C – The North Carolina Tar Heels (20-16, 14-12 ACC) took both games in their Friday doubleheader against the Miami Hurricanes (21-13, 13-12 ACC). It was a much-needed two wins for the Tar Heels against a familiar opponent. It now puts them just 1.5 games back from Virginia Tech in the ACC Coastal standings.

During game one, UNC and their pitching staff routed the Hurricanes by a final of 4-2. Despite allowing 11 hits, Tar Heels pitchers were on their game and clutch down the stretch, especially with runners in scoring position.

Redshirt Sophomore Austin Love was sharp on the mound, going deep into the game, logging in six 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run, two walks, and struck out seven. The victory for Love put him at 5-3 on the year and dropped his ERA down to 4.23.

Caden O’Brien and Gage Gillian were all that the Tar Heels needed out of the bullpen, and they continued the clubs pitching dominance. Combining a total of two 2/3 innings pitched with four hits issued, one earned run, three walks, and two strikeouts. Gillian earned his first save on the season.

In terms of the Tar Heels offensive play, they scored in four of the first five innings of the contest, and that ended up being all they needed. Dallas Tessar and Justice Thompson were responsible for all their runs, both having two RBI days.

Angel Zarate crushed a one-out double to left-centerfield to pick up the club’s first hit in the first inning. It would not be long until he crossed the plate, as two batters later, Tar Heels lead hitter Justice Thompson slapped an RBI single. His two-RBI day got his season total up to 20. In the third, Thompson doubled the Tar Heels advantage to 2-0, connecting on another single that scored Colby Wilkerson.

Dallas Tessar would finish off the scoring for the Heels in the fourth and fifth innings. He belted his fourth home run in the fourth inning and found the gap with an RBI double in the fifth that scored Brett Centracchio. It gave his club a 4-0 lead through five. Miami would add two runs in the final three innings of the game to finalize the score 4-2 UNC.

Game two ended up being a nail-biter after a late three-run inning by the Hurricanes in the eighth. However, the Tar Heels would hold on having the momentum from the game before and swept the day with a 6-5 victory.  

It was another strong starting pitching performance for the Heels. Shawn Rapp made his first start of the season in his seventeenth total appearance. He was firing on all cylinders, which earned him his first win on the year, lasting six innings allowing just two earned runs on four hits, walked two, and struck out eight.

Following Rapp was Nick Pry and Gage Gillian. Once again, Gillian logged in his second save of the season and, on the day, striking out the lone batter he faced to wrap up the game.

Caleb Roberts, Justice Thompson, Angel Zarate, and Mac Horvath were all responsible for knocking in the six runs for the Tar Heels. Zarate and Horvath each had two. Zarate singled in a run to put his club on the board in the third inning to tie it up at 1-1.

Later in the fifth, Horvath had the biggest hit of the game. Getting a hold of a two-run jack for his second of the season, which gave them their first lead 3-1. Zarate would follow in the same inning, smashing an RBI double that brought Roberts around the bases. The Tar Heels would score four in the inning and eventually held onto the lead to grab their 20th victory in 2021.

The Tar Heels finish off their ACC series versus Miami on Sunday, April 25th at 12:00 pm at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium.