No. 7 Tar Heels Take Series Opener, 3-1 - University of North Carolina Athletics

Friday, March 31

Tallahassee, Fla.

6:00 PM

North Carolina

20-6, 7-3

Florida State

18-9, 6-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Carolina	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	8	0
Florida State	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	0

Stats

April 1, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

TALLAHASSEE --- J.B. Bukauskas continued his stellar junior season with 10 strikeouts in seven innings and No. 7 North Carolina took the series opener at No. 8 Florida State 3-1 Friday evening at Dick Howser Stadium. Brian Miller and Ashton McGee homered, and Josh Hiatt worked the final two innings for his 10th save of the year.

In his first career start against the Seminoles, Bukauskas (5-0) showed why he is among the nation's top starters. The junior right-hander struck out Cal Raleigh with two men on base in the first and did not allow another hit until the seventh. Bukauskas struck out six of the first nine men he faced, then retired the side in order in both the fourth and fifth innings with a combined 15 pitches.

Carolina (20-6, 7-3 ACC) scored twice in the third against FSU starter Cole Sands (4-2). Miller led off the inning with a solo homer to left before a Brandon Riley RBI groundout plated Logan Warmoth later in the frame. That's all the Tar Heels could muster against Sands, who allowed seven hits and struck out six over 6.0 innings.

FSU (18-9, 6-4 ACC) finally got to Bukauskas in the seventh despite recording just one hit. The 'Noles loaded the bases with a pair of hit batters and a J.C. Flowers single, and Raleigh scored from third on a wild pitch to bring the hosts within one. But Bukauskas responded with his two best fastballs of the night to get Taylor Walls swinging and strand a pair.

McGee's laser inside the right field foul pole immediately restored the Carolina lead to two runs and from there it was Hiatt's game to finish. The redshirt freshman retired the side in order in the eighth and got Nick Durr to ground to short in the ninth to wrap up his ACC-best 10th save of the year.

Miller and Zack Gahagan had two hits each for the Tar Heels, who out-hit the Seminoles 8-3 on the night. Warmoth reached twice to extend his reached base streak to 41 games.

Drew Mendoza made his FSU debut after missing the first 26 games of the year with a broken thumb and finished 0 for 4.

Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. with Gianluca Dalatri to start for Carolina.