Diamond Heels Blank Longwood, 10-0

Wednesday, February 22

Chapel Hill, N.C.

4 p.m.

North Carolina

4-1

Longwood

0-5

Longwood

North Carolina

Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI

February 22, 2023 | Baseball

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By: UNC Athletics Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Four pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout and junior Mac Horvath hit two home runs in No. 12 North Carolina 's 10-0 rout of Longwood at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Tar Heels (4-1) pounded out 15 hits, including six for extra bases, as top five players in the batting order each collected two hits going a combined 10-for-21 with nine runs, six RBIs, three home runs and three doubles.

"That was a complete team performance," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "That's what you're looking for as a coach. You want to play the game clean.

"I thought Jake Knapp was outstanding. He set the tone. He didn't have the preseason that we expected, or he expected, but with his body of work from the fall and at Walters State, we knew what he was capable of doing."

Making his UNC debut, Knapp (1-0) yielded only two hits in 5.2 innings with four strikeouts. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a hit to leadoff the fourth inning. A double play erased the base runner and Knapp enter the sixth inning only one over the minimum.

Kanpp retired two of the first three batters he faced to start the sixth inning, but he was lifted after his pitch count surpassed the 70-pitch mark.

"I got a lot of one pitch outs and that helped me get deep in the game," Knapp said. "I felt great, and I joked with [Coach Forbes] and told him to let me finish the inning. I wish he would've let me stay in, but I know he knows best."

Nelson Berkwich got the final out of the frame by striking out James Nelson on three pitches.

After losing to Seton Hall on opening day, the Tar Heels have won four in a row.

Redshirt freshman Casey Cook got UNC on the board in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run to right field, the first of his collegiate career.

The Diamond Heels doubled their lead in the fifth as Reece Holbrook laced a single up the middle to score Tomas Frick and Hunter Stokely with two outs.

North Carolina did the bulk of its damage in the sixth inning, scoring four runs. Vance Honeycutt singled to lead off the frame and Horvath followed with a two-run homer.

"The past couple of games didn't go how I wanted, and Coach Wierzbicki came to me about making a minor adjustment with my swing to help me be in a better position to hit," Horvath said.

Back-to-back doubles by Cook and Frick made it 7-0 in favor of UNC and wild pitch allowed Frick to plate the final run of the frame.

Horvath added to the scoreboard with a 406-foot moon shot over the left field video board to start the eighth.

"I thought Mac could've hit two more home runs potentially if the wind is blowing out at all," Forbes said. "I told him to hit those same balls this weekend."

Freshman Jesse Jackonski delivered a one-out RBI single later in the inning to cap the scoring.

Graduate transfer Kevin Eaise earned his first save as a Tar Heel, allowing just one hit with five strikeouts over the final three innings.

Longwood starter Cole Taylor (0-1) gave up two runs in three innings, allowing four hits and issuing two walks.

North Carolina travels to Greenville, N.C. this weekend to take on No. 11 East Carolina Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25, before returning home Sunday, Feb. 26, for the series finale.